


Harry Potter and Grief's Wisdom

by poetheather



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-02-08 07:26:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 91,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1931982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetheather/pseuds/poetheather
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is not feeling very good about life. His godfather has just died and he almost got his friends killed. How could he be so stupid? There had to be some sort of way to get better... right? His grief and guilt lead him to question what he knows and try to find a better way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I have no idea where this is going and I am working on it in between other things so new chapters will be every few weeks or so… you have been warned. This struck me as an odd idea and I haven’t seen something of this exact nature play out in this manner before. If there has been then I haven’t seen it and thus am not copying it. As for shipping, not a clue at this point. For all I know it could be Harmony, Lunar Harmony, Hinny, something else… not sure. When I know, you’ll know.
> 
> This is a work of fiction using the characters created by J.K. Rowling. They are not used with her permission. All actions follow the events of book five of the series. Any similarity between any person living or dead is purely coincidental and unintentional. If you happen to find your life reflected in this piece I’ll be impressed and perhaps a little scared.

Harry Potter was feeling a number of things at the moment and none of them were pleasant or good. He was royally pissed off at himself and a few others, rather depressed, frustrated, mourning the loss of the only father figure he had ever known, and it all cycled round and round in his head getting no resolution. How could he have been so bloody stupid?! Hermione had told him it was a trap, had made her point clear, but oh no… he knew better than she did. They had flown down to London on Thestrals, something that took hours and he had somehow expected the situation to be exactly like his vision? God how could he have been so stupid? She was always bloody right, every single time and yet he always argued with her. It was all his fault that Sirius had died. He was the one that had failed. He was the one that had dragged him to the Department of Mysteries. He had even gotten his friends hurt over this whole mess and hurt bad. His injuries were inconsequential compared to that. Hermione was the one hurt worst of all and it was all because he had been too stubborn to listen to the one person who had never failed him, not in all his years at Hogwarts. He was a complete fuck up and he knew it.

All he could do was run the images and experiences at the Department of Mysteries over and over in almost painful detail, rubbing his failure in his face, rubbing his friend’s injuries in his face, rubbing Sirius’s death in his face. How was he supposed to fight Voldemort when he had no bloody clue what the hell he was doing? Sure they had been lucky but was that really good enough? In five years at Hogwarts he’d only had two decent teachers of Defense and one had been a Death Eater who had placed them under the Imperious curse as a teaching experience. The whole mess was ridiculous. How the hell was he supposed to do this? If he was the bloody Chosen One from what Dumbledore had told him, then how in Merlin’s Name was he supposed to kill Voldemort if he had this sad excuse for training? From the way it was going so far it seemed like his best bet would be to simply walk up to Voldemort and let himself be killed. That at least might be something he was competent with.

His lack of understanding about what to do in combat basically condemned everyone around him. Sure he knew some of the spells and stuff but how to fight, how to really fight, and more to the point, how to fight a war… he wasn’t stupid or arrogant enough to think that he did. At this point he had to admit that he had rather impressive personal defense skills but that was about it. God, if he kept this up he was going to get everybody killed. Dying might be the best he could do for the others.

The room felt tight, like it was closing in on him. He felt constrained, trapped in a shrinking cage. He paced back and forth, hands twitching, wanting something to do but there was nothing. Air. He needed air. Heading downstairs, he ignored the Dursleys. He would no doubt be asked to cook dinner for them but for right now he really couldn’t stand being in there, in that house, around those people. Once out the door he broke into a run, losing himself in the feel of his body moving, letting his feet carry him where they will. This wasn’t the first time he had run through the neighborhood nor the hundredth. With Dudley and his friends chasing him all the time he had really crossed a lot Little Whinging time and again and he knew this neighborhood better than he knew Hogwarts. His lungs started burning and his legs ached and as he slowed and nearly stumbled to a stop he paid attention to where he was, standing hunched over, gulping air in front of one of his few refuges, the library.

Panting, he ran a hand through his hair, feeling the slick wetness of sweat hold his hair back some. Might as well go in, he thought. It wasn’t like he had any better ideas. Besides, having some water sounded good right now. He wasn’t as big a reader as Hermione was but he had read a great deal growing up, both fiction and nonfiction. Walking through the door he breathed in that smell which only collections of books had and sighed. The quiet was nice, giving him a slight sense of peace, as was the fact that here wasn’t at number 4. That was a good thing. He began moving aimlessly through the stacks, his eyes trailing over the titles on both sides, not really reading them but mostly taking them in. It was peaceful and helped calm him some. This library did that so much more than the one at school. He just let his gaze drift over the titles until his eyes caught on something that made him stop, SAS.

Harry turned and faced the bookcase, looking at the shelf, eyes narrowing a little in focus. There was a whole section of books on the military here, specifically the Special Air Services, the American Special Forces, SEALS and the like. He remembered browsing through this section when he was younger with dreams of leaving the Dursley’s and joining the Army. He just stood there and stared at the titles wondering why they had caught his attention, his mind running over things over and over, taking in the newer titles he didn’t remember from before. Thinking back to his earlier thoughts back in his room, he realized that this might actually be a good idea. Here was information on the subject of war, mostly focused on small units of highly trained people fighting smarter not harder. He grabbed several of them, especially a few of the newer titles and headed towards one of the reading tables. He might as well see if it gave him any ideas that could help him get better and maybe, just maybe fail less. Sure spells were vastly different than guns but skill in warfare and the tactics of warfare might just translate. He might know enough about the wizarding world to see if it would.

Reading the motto of the SAS made him chuckle, “Qui audet adipiscitur” or “Who dares wins”. That was practically the unofficial motto of Gryffindor house and given his approach to dealing with issues, it surely was his own approach to life. That was certainly a motto and a point of view that he could get behind. The motto for the US special forces was “De oppresso liber” or “To liberate the oppressed” or at least that was what they said it meant. Certainly the SAS one fit and the SF one made sense as well with how he saw things. In a way that made him sad as he realized that his life really wasn’t like most kids’ lives.

The reading was interesting, covering the training, tactics, and tools of the SAS. Some of the things he saw in there gave him a few ideas he could use to make his DADA training more effective, especially based on the real experiences of actual combat he had. The fight in the graveyard and in the Department of Mysteries ad certainly made an indelible impression on him and taught him a great deal. This gave him ideas that he could hive off of in order to get even better and more effective. There actually might be some value in this. He started when he heard someone go, “Hem hem.”

Turning, wishing his heart would slow down; there was no way the evil toad could be here. He spotted the librarian looking at him. “Yes?”

“We’re closing up.” The woman was polite about it which was another clue that this wasn’t Umbridge.

“Uh… yeah right… can I get these?” asked Harry, gesturing to the pile of books he had been looking through.

The librarian just gave him this look that he had seen numerous times on Hermione’s face, a look that spoke of annoyance, before she rolled her eyes and headed back towards her desk, waving him on.

Harry felt like a bit of an idiot. He was in a library, of course he could check out books. More than anything that showed how poorly he was thinking. While his library card was old and hadn’t been used since he had started Hogwarts, it was still good. At least he thought it was still good. He smiled at the woman and hefted his stack of books onto the counter. Maybe, just maybe this would get him somewhere. What he needed to do was fight a whole lot smarter than he had been and maybe these books could help him figure out how exactly how to do that. It was certainly more than he was getting from anywhere else.

When he walked into the house, clutching the stack of books in his arms, Vernon started right in, growling out, “Boy, where have you been?!”

Harry frowned and felt his anger rise. It was right at the surface these days and he seemed ready to explode over the least little thing. He really did not need this right now. He swallowed his first retort and exhaled, trying to calm some before answering, “I was at the library.”

Vernon was clearly grappling for something freakish there to chide him about but failed miserably. There was clearly nothing abnormal about going to the library to get books. It was a perfectly normal thing that perfectly normal people did. He had to content himself with, “Well, dinner is late. Get to work.”

Groaning in annoyance, Harry set his stack of books down on the stairs and headed into the kitchen. If he got to work right then maybe he might be able to head up to his room and ignore the Dursley’s for the rest of the night. That was more common now that he was older. He got out the ingredients and got to work, dicing vegetables and bits of meat for the dish Aunt Petunia had told him to make earlier quite swiftly thanks to his years of practice. He paused, his knife partway through a cut of beef when a thought occurred to him… why didn’t he have a knife? He was good with them and they were handy so why didn’t he have one? Was there some reason that he didn’t have this most obvious of tools?

He continued with his cooking as he thought. Knives could be thrown, could be used up close, could be used for a number of different things, so why didn’t he have one, or more than one? Maybe he should get some. If he picked up some throwing knives he could practice in the Room of Requirement since he was sure that it would give him the targets he would need. That might be a nice surprise the next time he had to face a Death Eater. It would certainly not be something they would be expecting from him. This made him feel a little better. He was trying to do better, plan ahead.

Once the food was served and he got his portion he headed upstairs. Amazingly the Dursley’s didn’t complain one bit, which made him feel better about the evening. There would be dishes afterwards, but that could be done after they had finished eating as he had all the pans he had used already cleaned. He balanced his plate on his books and went to his room. Hedwig opened an eye and looked at him curiously as he walked in. With a smile at her he said, “Evening girl.”

She gave him a soft hoot and closed her eyes again.

He ate quietly, handing Hedwig little bites of the meat. His thoughts drifted back to the Department of Mysteries and his stomach churned a little. His breathing caught some and he set his plate aside. With some deep breaths he tried to get his emotions under control as they had surged back up. He just kept having images of Sirius, of Hermione; of Neville… he sighed and bowed his head. Losing Sirius because he had been a fool was not easy to deal with. But then again his godfather had been joking around, almost playing with Bellatrix when they were fighting. But then again Sirius wouldn’t have been there without him, he would have been safe at Grimmauld Place. Reaching for his glass of water he swallowed down his guilt and promised himself he would do better, for Sirius, for his friends, for himself.

So what should he do to get better? What were the odds that they would have a decent DADA teacher this year, one who might actually know something about the subject and how to teach it? Maybe it would be safer if he tried to figure out what he could do on his own and see what happened from there. Well he had these books so he should read and see if there were any ideas in them? One that came to mind right away was exercising. That running battle in the Ministry had been exhausting and being tired had made them all make mistakes in spell choice and what they did. If he had been in better shape, if they had all been in better shape they just might have done better. Of course, a better understanding of tactics would have helped as well. They had a few things in mind but by and large they had gone in blind and flown by the seat of Harry’s pants. The only one who made it out with minimal damage had been Luna and he had no idea how that had happened. It had to have been pure luck. No, training would certainly be high on his list of things to fix.

This of course meant he had to eat, because quite fundamentally, without food he would never build any muscle or anything. He choked down the rest of his meal with some effort even though it held no appeal. His stomach flopped a few times but he managed to keep his food down with some effort. It was a start. Once he set his plate aside again he lay back on his bed and started to read, interested in what the knowledge of the best soldiers could do for him. Honestly, what was the worst that could happen with this? That he got a bit of a clue and became less of a danger for his friends to be around?


	2. Chapter 2

Chap 2.

Harry was struggling to keep the pace he had set as his body was all but screaming at him to slow down. The stitch in his side made breathing difficult but he kept on, knowing that he had to push himself if he was going to get better. This sucked so much but it was better than being in the house. He kept struggling to push faster, as he was slowing without planning on it. When he could finally see number 4 he started walking, taking in huge gulps of air. One hand rubbed the tight spot on his side and he was soaked in sweat. Merlin, he hurt.

The air shimmered off to his side as a voice came out, “Wotcher Harry.”

He just nodded as there was still not enough air in him to respond with anything else. Moody would be upset with him for not reacting correctly.

“Any reason you are out here turning yourself into a wet smelly thing?” she asked curiously.

With a nod he kept his trudge towards number 4. He vaguely remembered something about it being bad if he didn’t stretch out a little after running. Given how he felt now, there was no way he wanted anything worse.

“Technically, we are supposed to keep you safe in your house, you know, just saying.”

Harry stopped at that. That just irritated him and turned to face where the sound was coming from, frowning. Were they serious?

“I’m just saying that’s the orders Harry. We have to keep you safe, especially since You-know-who is getting more active.”

“Bloody hell! No… just no.” Harry was a bit surprised at the anger but at that point was too wrung out to do anything about it. Besides the anger really did help make his point on this issue.

There was a pause and then, “What do you mean Harry?”

Harry was glad it was Tonks, if it had been anyone else he probably would have had to hex them or something in order to get him to listen. In fact, maybe the other day when he went to the Library it could have been her on guard or that waste of space Fletcher. He hadn’t heard any faint snoring so he wasn’t sure. “I will not be a prisoner even if it’s for my safety. That’s just insane. Dumbledore did that to Sirius and I know it was making him stir crazy. Is that why I haven’t heard anything from my friends because someone decided to keep me bloody _safe_?”

Tonks took a step back, surprised at Harry’s anger. He was a bit surprised by it as well, but his emotions had been all over the place since the Ministry. She cautiously answered, “I wouldn’t know about that Harry.”

“If you want to keep me safe then keep me safe, don’t keep me locked away and unable to contact my friends. And you can tell everyone else I said that so they won’t be surprised when I do my own thing. And keep my mail safe don’t lock me away from my mail. Merlin, whose bloody plan was this, Dumbledore?” Harry really was getting more and more upset with how it seemed like his life was being played with. He was tired of being jerked around by his enemies and by the people who were supposed to be his allies. If they really wanted to help him then they should help him, not be obstacles themselves. He was beyond tired of this.

With a blush, Tonks nodded to what he said and replied, “Will do. Look I’m not sure how much can be done with some people but I will do what I can to get this through to them.”

Harry tried to calm himself. He could tell that Tonks was trying and his anger wasn’t really helping anything. This was definitely something he needed to work on. Lately, his emotions controlled him and not the other way around. “Thanks. Look I’m gonna go get cleaned up. I may or may not be leaving later, I’m not sure. If you’re still here I guess that means you’ll be following me. If not then let the others know that I am not playing prison boy any longer. Living here is difficult enough without having to be trapped inside.”

“Sure Harry.”

He headed inside and then immediately upstairs. Thankfully his uncle was off at work so he wouldn’t have to put up with him and his bellowing. His aunt didn’t even glance his way as he walked in so that was a bit of a blessing. While she wasn’t as mean as the other two her words cut the most. Dudley was probably still asleep in all honesty, given that it was summer hols and he tended to stay out late. Given that all he did was sleep and hang out with Piers and his usual gang of losers all hours of the night it really wasn’t a surprise that Dudders was crashed out. This meant that he was able to take his shower in peace, for which he was thankful. The occasional pounding on the door while he tried to clean up was rather disconcerting.

Walking into his room, towel wrapped round his waist, Harry realized something annoying. All his clothes sucked for what he was trying to do. They were all too big for one, excessively worn out, and in the case of what passed for shoes, barely holding together except for the liberal use of tape. How could he be expected to get fit or even more to the point, move right if part of the time he was fighting his clothes? There had been several moments during the last few years where his clothes had become problematic, hampering his ability to dodge. No, this was a thing he needed to fix before things got too much farther. He didn’t want to drag Tonks with him to go shopping, as that would be odd, and the Weasleys were right out because the last thing that would happen would be for Mrs. Weasley to go against Dumbledore, but what about Hermione or Luna? Sure he hadn’t heard from them just like everyone else but if that was Dumbledore’s stupid plan who was he to follow along? He wanted to make his own choices, his own decisions. Merlin, he was going to be 16 this year, so he wasn’t a little kid any longer. He was well aware that he wasn’t a full adult yet but things were just ridiculous. Anyway, just how was he going to get a hold of Hermione or Luna anyway?

As he pulled on the handmedowns, it hit him like a bludger. God he was a total idiot. It was so very obvious and of course had never occurred to him because he thought too much like a wizard. He could _call_ Hermione, like with the telephone. Actual technology was sure to be something that ad slipped past Dumbledore’s plans for keeping him isolated. He knew the city she lived in and her last name, despite not knowing her actual number. Surely directory assistance would be able to help out here, since that was what they did. He headed downstairs, shaking his head at being so, well, dumb. Of course the obvious would be missed. Making the call he waited for the phone to be answered once directory assistance connected him. “Hello Granger residence.”

“Hermione?” asked Harry. The person on the other end sounded a bit tired and wrung out so he wasn’t sure if it was Hermione or not. It could be her mother for all he knew, so he wasn’t going to rule that out either.

“Harry?” The surprise was quite evident.

Apparently it was Hermione who had answered which made him smile. This was going better than he had hoped. “Hey there Mione. How are you?”

“Uhm… fine but I thought… I… how are you?” Hermione sounded a touch confused and hesitant as she spoke, which was an indication that he was clearly doing something unexpected. He liked that. It was rare that he was able to truly surprise her.

“Bored out of my mind honestly. I haven’t gotten to my homework yet but I have some ideas running around my head. I have been reading a few books and they have got me thinking. I know Crawley isn’t too far away from here. Would it be okay if I came by to visit?” He asked.

“Aren’t you supposed to stay somewhere safe?” She sounded conflicted like she wanted to say yes but her responsible part was arguing back.

“For the most part but I’m getting stir crazy here. That’s okay; I have a guard and my invisibility cloak and if worse comes to worse I will fight back. But I will not sit here and be a prisoner any longer.” He said definitively.

“How are you going to get over here? You don’t know how to apparate or make portkeys? Surely you’re not going to fly are you?”

Harry started chuckling. Magic really did infect the way you looked at the world, taking away the obvious answers sometimes. Granted it had been the same sort of mistake he had made earlier so it was fun to see her make the same mistake in thinking. “No, of course not. I’m not that crazy Hermione. I was planning on taking the bus if that was okay with you. Not a lot of purebloods frequent muggle busses so I should be nice and safe.”

“Oh.” He could almost hear the blush and that made him smile. Hermione was so smart that when she overlooked simple things like that it was a rare and wonderful thing. If only he could be there to see the blush in person.

“So is it okay if I came over?” He really hoped she said yes, despite her responsible self telling her not to allow it.

There was a pause before she replied, “Sure.”

“Great.” He really felt excited by that idea. This would be a lot of fun and far better than just hanging around Privet Drive. “See you in a little bit.”

That did leave Harry in a bit of a quandary. Should he get some money from his vault and then go shopping with Hermione or should he just go and talk to her about his plan this trip? Both were tempting and he had no idea how often he could pull this off before Dumbledore intervened. Maybe he should just go over and see how she was doing and talk with her, at least to start. He had no idea how she was health wise and she had been seriously hurt in the battle. Maybe he could arrange a shopping trip later, given how she was feeling? Now if only he could get a hold of Luna, Neville, or the Weasleys without any hassle everything would be excellent.

He grabbed his new books and put them in his empty school bag, as he was sure she would want to see them. Those went in along with his cloak. There were a few other things that might be useful, like the knife that Sirius got him and the communication mirror. He didn’t know if it connected to Remus or not but it was at least a potential communication tool that he had been stupid enough to forget about. He needed to be better, to think tactical and not like a kid. He snorted. Honestly, when had he been a kid? Thanks to the oh so tender mercies of the Dursleys he really hadn’t had a good childhood, being more servant than anything else. That was one of the reasons he really connected with Dobby, that shared history of suffering while he worked. No, he needed to stop trying to live the illusion and just accept the crap that life kept throwing at him. Dumbledore might keep harping about him needing a childhood but he had already been kept from one and there was really little chance that he would get to be a child so long as Voldemort was after him.

He called out to his aunt just before walking outside, he figured that he would be back in time to handle the evening meal and if not what were they going to do to him? Hit him? Yell at him? Honestly he barely cared anymore. They were barely his relatives all things considered. He actually felt closer to Malfoy than he did the Dursleys, despite how horrible that thought was. Tonks would keep up with him or just stand there and watch him disappear for all he cared. Getting out of the house was something he could do to get out and forget about this life he was forced to live. It didn’t take long for the Auror and Order member to make her appearance after he had left the house, “Where to now Harry?”

“Crawley.” He kept walking as he talked, heading towards the bus stop.

“Why there?”

“Hermione.”

“Okay.” He could hear the traces of confusion in her voice as she spoke. “So how are you planning on getting there?”

Harry rolled his eyes. Honestly, what was it with some people? Tonks had a muggleborn father, surely she had a better grasp of things than this. “There is a bus stop ahead and I can transfer to Crawley without too much problem several stops ahead. It is safe and not connected to the magical world so there is nothing for anyone to trace.”

She nodded and grinned at him. “Alright. That works. Shall we?”

“You’re coming with me?” Despite his earlier comments he was still surprised by how ready she was to follow along.

“Well I’m certainly not going to sit here and let Moody show up and chew me out for losing you. I got that enough as an Auror trainee to last a life time.”

“Fair enough.”

Once they caught the bus, the trip wasn’t long and Harry took the time to get to know Tonks better, asking her about her family, what her father did, things like that. Since Sirius had explained a bit about his history and how his grandmother Dorea had been a black, that mean that Tonks was family. It helped pass the time and helped a little with the ache in his heart, because they were related and that meant he still had family in the world. Sure she wasn’t a Potter but they were family nonetheless. They had both lost Sirius thanks to this stupid war and were both grieving, though Tonks not nearly as acute as Harry. However, they were also both happy to see the stop that they needed so they could stop wallowing around in their feelings. That loss was still too fresh.

As the bus pulled away, they both looked around to get a better lay of the land. Tonks smiled at him knowingly, well aware that he had no clue where he was headed. “So Harry, where do we go from here?”

He looked at her in some disbelief and shook his head. As if he had a clue as to where Hermione lived, despite having her street address. He glanced at the stores around the stop and noticed a Chinese place that delivered. Thinking about it a minute he found his answer. With a grin, he walked over there and entered. Not wanting to simply bug them for information, he bought sodas for himself and Tonks before asking for directions. They headed off, drinking from their cans, looking at the set of written directions. Tonks chuckled some and said, “Okay, that was clever.”

“Thanks. I figured if anyone would know directions around Crawley it would be a delivery place,” commented Harry. He was rather proud of having sussed that out.

“I’ll have to remember that if I ever need that sort of information.”

It was a bit of a hike from the bus stop but soon they walked up to a multistory brick house that was at the end of their directions. Harry was impressed. For all that his Uncle Vernon had pride of place, #4 was nothing at all compared to this. This was a rather nice home, with lovely gardens and was certainly not the track housing so common in Little Whinging. No… this was good. Looking at it he really could place Hermione here. It felt like her. “Come on.”

He knocked on the door and waited, grinning to himself and utterly pleased that he had made it to Hermione’s house with no misadventure. It had to be a first in his life. Shortly Hermione opened it and she looked fairly wan and tired. Harry frowned at the sight and began to feel bad. He and his stupidity had done this to her. He had gotten her into this mess and now look at her. How could he have been so dumb?

Hermione smiled at seeing him and said, “Hi Harry. Hi Tonks.”

“Hi Hermione.” Tonks was quite chipper.

Harry’s response was a good bit more subdued. Just looking at her brought his guilt to the fore. It was like having his face rubbed into his mistake painfully. “Hey Hermione.”

Hermione frowned and she narrowed her eyes, “What’s wrong?”

“I just…” He took a deep breath, trying to make himself understood as so much on him just wanted to beg for her forgiveness. “I’m sorry I got you hurt.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed before answering. “Honestly Harry, you are not Dolohov and thus aren’t the one who did this to me, so you have nothing to feel sorry about. Your actions saved us all.”

“But…” Harry was at a complete loss how to respond. She wasn’t even just a little bit upset with him leading them into an ambush?

“Harry James Potter don’t be a prat. Now come inside so I can sit down and we can talk. Clearly you need it.”

Harry meekly followed. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Hermione when she was injured thanks to him being an idiot. When she got like this it was far easier to just do whatever she said. He needed to do better by her. Since she usually was the one to save him because of what she knew. Maybe his ideas would help redeem him and she would feel like he was upholding his part of things.

Once seated, she sighed and then looked over at him. One eyebrow cocked as she noted his squirming and so she asked, “So you said you had some ideas running round your head? What kind of ideas?”

“Yeah. Since I realized that we were very, very lucky at the Ministry and I…” He had to swallow down his nerves. “Well I don’t want to just rely on luck ever again when it comes to you, or Luna, or Ron, or Neville, or Ginny, or… well anyone else really. I keep rushing into things and fighting wildly which has a tendency to get myself and others hurt. I… I can’t afford that anymore. I lost Sirius because I was rash and I almost lost you. I have to be better. So I thought that it might be smart to look at some books about people who really know what they are doing in terms of fighting terrorists and these kinds of battles.”

Tonks was giving him an appraising look while Hermione’s was far more pointed, as if she were following his logic and trying to jump ahead. “Go on.”

“Well… as you know, the SAS and the US Special Forces are both trained to fight this kind of fight, what with the Troubles and such. I mean, from what I read, these guys have a far more appropriate approach the this than police officers so I was thinking, maybe some of their ideas and tactics would work for us?” He looked at her as he shrugged, spreading his hands wide.

Whatever Tonks had expected Harry to say, this was certainly not it given her surprised look. However, Hermione was following along, nodding slowly. “So what you are saying is that we pull out what we can from their doctrine and see how it can apply to magical warfare, especially since their tactics and doctrine are a lot more advanced and developed than what seems to be the norm for the wizarding world. I mean, everything we’ve seen and experienced reminds me more of Napoleonic battles, where it dissolves into a melee at the end, rather than the more tactically driven modern battlefield.”

Harry nodded. He wouldn’t have put it exactly that way but yes. Did Hermione just know a little about everything? “So this all makes sense?”

Hermione’s grin lightened his heart. Maybe this was helping his position out. “Absolutely Harry. That idea is absolutely brilliant and is a great way to cross something over from one world to the other. If we can make this work it will certainly not be something they will be expecting. I assume you are also thinking about the physical training aspect of it?”

“Oh yeah, we got too winded as the fight went along and that’s dangerous. I’ve already started running.” Harry felt buoyed by the fact that she was helping him run with this idea. “I brought along some of the books I have on this if you wanted to take a look.”

Hermione took the books and flipped through them, her eyes scanning the pages quickly. “This really is brilliant Harry, it really is. With these we can shake up the DA and give ourselves a better chance to succeed. Oh… Tonks, is there any way you can get Harry some books on how Auror’s fight, their tactics and such? That would let him make comparisons and get a better appraisal of things. Without that knowledge we won’t be able to make the most of this.”

Tonks nodded slowly, clearly thinking through the proposal as well and trying to see if she would get in trouble for sharing information. “I can do that. I can pick up some of the training texts right after the will reading.”

“Wait… what will reading?” asked Harry, a bit lost after this change in topics.

Hermione and Tonks both stared at him a bit incredulously. They shared a look and then Hermione said gently, “The reading of Sirius’s will.”

He blinked a few times, his heart aching at this further acknowledgement of his loss. “Wait, what? When is that supposed to happen?”

“Tomorrow. Surely you got your Gringots letter about it?” Hermione cast her eyes over to Tonks, to see if the Auror could provide any additional information.

Shaking his head, Harry’s thoughts raced, trying to figure out why that could be the case, why he might not be aware of something the others were. Could this be more of Dumbledore’s protections? Frowning, he called out, “Dobby!”

There was a loud pop and the nervous house elf was standing there in front of him, wringing his hands, “What can Dobby do for Harry Potter?”

He picked up a notebook from the coffee table and scrawled out a quick note. He needed information and maybe a way to fix things. “Could you please take this to Gringotts and give it to the goblin in charge of the Black account for me please?”

Dobby nodded excitedly, took the note, and vanished. Harry looked at the other two intently and asked, “Now exactly when is this taking place?”


	3. Chapter 3

Chap 3.

Harry lowered the weights with a slight clank and sighed. His arms felt remarkably like jelly and that was slightly disturbing. Maybe he had worked them a bit too hard? He wasn’t sure as he was going off guesses here. All he was doing was trying to lift what he could as many times as he could. That was exhausting and didn’t really last long. Maybe this called for a different book, something that could help him figure out the right way to do this. Surely there were books on exercise he could reference. Everything he had learned in quidditch and done for years was of no help here. It was an entirely different type of exercise. The phone rang and he sighed.

He headed downstairs, glad for the distraction. Resting his arms sounded like a lovely plan, given all he had done as well as his chores. He reached the phone and responded as politely as he could manage, “Dursley residence.”

“Harry?”

“Tonks?” Harry was rather confused. Why was she calling him?

“Wotcher. Yeah, the reading is this afternoon, remember? Do you think you can make it to that library near the house right after lunch?”

“Sure, that also lets me get my chores done. I can even do some studying before then.” Harry was mentally running through his list of chores, trying to work everything out.

“Right, then I will see you there at one o’clock.”

After he hung the phone up his aunt asked from the living room, “Was that one of your… friends?”

“Yes Aunt Petunia.”

“And this one knew how to use the phone?” There was a degree of disbelief in her question, because surely a freak wouldn’t know how to use a phone.

Harry rolled his eyes, glad that he couldn’t be seen. “Yes. Her father is muggleborn and works as a lawyer so apparently their house has phones and magic.”

His aunt sniffed derisively and Harry took that as his cue to escape so he could knock out a number of his chores. Weeding the garden was actually quick work, seeing as that was a usual task and weeds really didn’t have that much of a chance to make a strong presence in the garden. Every day he did something out there and it showed. He tidied the house, which was thankfully not very dirty and then headed upstairs, happy to get away from his Aunt. He went to the beat up desk and sat down to go through his books. Looking through the Special Forces book he saw the mention of After Action Reports, which was summarized as basically going over what did and didn’t work in an engagement so you could learn from your mistakes and successes. That sounded useful and a great way to learn from the various encounters he had had.

Moving the book to the side, Harry got out a new sheet of parchment and started writing down what had occurred at the Ministry as best as he could remember. He was surprised by just how much he did remember now that he thought about it. That was rather surprising. A great deal of it seemed etched into his thoughts. Then he wrote down the mistakes, things where he knew they had screwed up. It was a depressing list but also shorter than he had expected which made him frown. Was he forgetting something? He then wrote up what they had done right and that was a larger list and was sort of grouped by name as each person had done different things well. For all that had gone wrong and poorly during that fight, they really had done rather well overall and kept their heads. Thinking about this he really wanted to see what the others could come up with if they did this as well. He sort of doubted that Ron would do this, as anything outside of schoolwork was certainly not going to fly.

Writing out short notes to each of those at the ministry covering what he wanted along with some other information such as how he had been and the like, Harry then thought about the fact that he hadn’t gotten any communication from any others. It was irritating as he really could use his friends as he tried to deal with his grief over losing Sirius and his grief over leading his friends into a trap. It was like he was being ignored for no good reason. No, he didn’t need to think about that right now. If he focused on that too much, either Sirius’s death or the lack of contact, he would get quite depressed again and he was trying to avoid that. There were things he had to get done and he honestly didn’t have the time.

If there was something keeping the messages from getting to him then maybe there was something that could stop Hedwig. He frowned at that. Given everything he just couldn’t risk his owl. No he needed another way to get these out. “Dobby?”

The House Elf appeared with a soft pop, looking excited to be there. “Yes Harry Potter sir?”

“Could you take these to Neville, Luna and Hermione? I’m probably going to see Ron later so I can deliver his I guess. If not then you can deliver these to Ron and Ginny.” He handed over three of the letters.

“Certainly Harry Potter. Dobby can do this.”

When the house elf disappeared before he could thank the excitable elf, Harry turned to Hedwig who was glaring at him. He blushed and said defensively, “Look, I know you are amazing at this but someone has been screwing with my mail and I didn’t want to put you at risk over it. I would rather keep you safe than let you get hurt over something this unimportant.”

Hedwig continued to stare at him for a moment and then bobbed her head. Harry let out the breath he had been holding. A reprieve from a grumpy owl was a good thing. “Thank you Hedwig.”

He went back to his books, noting the time and saw there was a whole section on how important communication was. These military units had the best communication gear money could buy and they also used hand signals when they needed to do things silently. It was certainly something to think about. There were diagrams in the books with some of the hand signals and he could see where it would be useful. Maybe something like that would be nice to have? He wondered if he would be able to get actual military training manuals as they certainly would have better and more focused information on this. He would have to talk to Hermione about that. Out of everyone he knew she was the one who actually knew the most about finding and buying books in either world. Maybe he should actually make a list of the sorts of things he would want to look for?

His guilt rose up, reminding him what his folly had caused. Hermione, his most consistent friend, had been almost killed because he hadn’t bothered to listen to her. She was almost always right but oh no he knew better. His temper seemed to control him more often than not and he just didn’t need that, not anymore. Things were so dangerous that losing his temper could cause more people he cared about to almost die. Everything he had read about the SAS showed that they were generally level headed, especially in combat. His life was in danger thanks to Voldemort so he needed to think before he jumped into things, because it wasn’t just his life on the line. The Ministry had shown that clearly, painfully. He knew that Hermione would not let him go off and face danger without her and Ron was the same. There was no way he could take off without them. And the other three just happened to be there when it all went down but Harry was sure a number of the DA members would have been there for him and fought just as bravely. If he acted rashly, like he usually did, all these people would be put on the line as well. He had to do better.

A glance at his clock let him know what time it was. If he was going to meet Tonks then he had to get going. Grabbing his wand, the few books he wanted to return, and then stuffing his invisibility cloak into his empty book bag, he hefted it and headed downstairs. He didn’t bring the knife because he had forgotten it had melted at the Ministry. He had stared at it sadly for a while last night, realizing that yet another thing that had connected him to Sirius was gone. In his folly he had lost something that was now a precious reminder of better times. He sighed, to clear his thoughts and said, “Aunt Petunia, I’m heading over to the library.”

His Aunt glared at him and then nodded, not saying anything.

With a sigh, Harry exited the house and headed towards the Library. He disliked his relatives considering how they treated him and had his whole life but they were also all he had left. Maybe if Sirius had lived and had managed to prove his innocence then he would have been able to go live with his godfather, but that avenue was fully closed. And he was certain Dumbledore wouldn’t really give him any other options for places to stay. He was rather insistent that Harry come back here. Basically, Harry would have to make do until he managed to leave the house which wouldn’t be until his birthday next summer.

As he walked towards his old sanctuary, he realized that he basically ensured that he had to stay at Durzkaban until then because he had acted rashly. He really did need to get a handle on his emotions before they got him killed. Maybe there were some books on that at the library? Sure, he was reading and studying far more like Hermione than he usually did but it was so boring at the Dursleys and it wasn’t like he got the Prophet or the Quibbler to keep him occupied. Harry frowned, he needed to know more if he was going to keep others safe and the only way to do that was to learn, something he really hadn’t taken all that seriously until now. No more slacking, he just didn’t have the option anymore. It wasn’t about NEWTs but rather about his friends and desperately hoping that they would survive till the end of this, that he would survive the end of this.

He stopped and rubbed his face with one hand. He was trying but it wasn’t like it was an overnight process. Unfortunately magic couldn’t just give him this knowledge he would have to work for it. Maybe he needed to really get Hermione in on this, as she knew far more about studying than Harry did. Maybe he should talk to Luna as well, because she had a different way of looking at things that could make a difference? Then again, Harry realized that he should also send something to Susan, to see if there was anything her Aunt could do to help him in this insanity. She was most definitely an untapped resource, what with being the head of the DMLE. With a sigh, he realized that he had been so focused on doing this all on his own that he had actually been neglecting all sorts of resources. The SAS books were clear that such units used any and every advantage they could get to accomplish their missions. Perhaps what he needed to was let others in, no matter how much it scared him?

Not seeing Tonks anywhere about, he headed into the building. Once he disposed of the books he didn’t need anymore, he asked the Librarian where there could be books on Anger Management and the like. He followed her directions quickly, moving through the stacks to the right place and stood in the aisle staring at all the titles. He had no clue what might or might not be good so maybe he should go with something that sounded decent? He grabbed a few books on the subject, one on grieving for a loved one, as he knew he needed help with that, and then spotted a few titles that had him freeze, stunned to see anything of the sort.

His eyes seemed glued to the titles and they spoke of healing from childhood abuse. He swallowed dryly, his hands sweating some in nervous reaction. Would going through something like that help? He knew that the Dursleys had treated him poorly his whole life but would it qualify as abuse? There was no doubt what Hermione’s answer would be if asked, so maybe he should look into this? When he reached out and took hold of one of the books his hands were shaking so maybe there could be something to this? It wouldn’t hurt to read… right?

Once he checked out the new books, he went outside to wait. Why had he done that? Why had he picked up _those_ books? It had been an impulse like the one that had lead him to the SAS books and his impulses rarely led him wrong. He shook his head to clear it. He really had no intention of dealing with that now as delving that deeply into his emotions just seemed primed for failure. Sitting on a bench he let his mind drift, trying to forget everything.

“Wotcher Harry.” Tonks came from around the side of the building and called out her greeting.

Pushing away the depressive turn his thoughts had taken, he replied with false cheer. “Hi Tonks.”

“So, are you ready to go?”

He shook his head, “No, but let’s do this.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chap. 4

The two of them appeared in a corner of the Leaky Cauldron and moved swiftly towards the Alley, trying to avoid attracting too much attention. Once they made it inside Diagon Alley, Tonks kept scanning the street as they hustled to the bank. Safely within the marble walls they paused and Tonks looked about the vast open room. Nodding in decision, she walked up to one of the open tellers with Harry trailing behind and asked politely, “We are here for the reading of the Black Will.”

The goblin glared at her, measuring her for some reason, and then nodded. He gestured to one of the waiting goblins and when that one responded he said, “Take them to Reading Room 2.”

When their escort turned, walked towards the back and they moved to keep up. Harry felt his anger growing. Why hadn’t Professor Dumbledore told him about this? Why was he being made to sit at the Dursleys without any information? It was just like last summer and it was pissing him off. This whole thing made him a touch crazy, not like he needed any advice to get there. Reaching a set of doors that was down a few hallways, the goblin stopped and opened the door, gesturing them inside. When Harry entered he was surprised to see a number of people already there: Ron, Hermione, Fred and George, Remus, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore all there and in seats. Everyone except Hermione seemed rather surprised to see him.

The goblin at the head of the table smiled, a cold reptilian smile, and said, “Good, now that all the principals are here, if there is no argument, we will begin.”

As Harry took a seat next to Hermione he could feel the weight of Professor Dumbledore’s gaze on him and it was disconcerting. It almost felt like his gaze was burrowing into him. He knew better at this point to look him in the eye, and wondered just what the Headmaster was trying to figure out.

The goblin cleared his throat, a rather disturbing sound, reminding Harry of a slightly blocked garbage disposal. He picked up some pages and began, “This stands as the last will and testament of Sirius Orion Black, Head of House Black upon the occasion of my death. I, Sirius Orion Black, being of sound enough mind and body do make the following bequests upon my death.

To Remus John Lupin, my dearest brother and fellow troublemaker, I leave you 15,000 galleons and the deed to a house I have purchased specifically for you. You’re stuck with it Remus and it’s even got a room for your furry little problem. I love you Moony. Don’t be in a rush to see us again, we’ll still be here.

To Nymphadora Tonks, my most colorful cousin, I leave you 5,000 galleons and reinstatement to the Black Family. I would have taken care of it sooner but being a wanted criminal limited me some. Have fun Tonksy and welcome to the family.

To Minerva Grace McGonagall, my favorite teacher at Hogwarts, I leave you 5,000 galleons and my eternal thanks for being the best Head of House ever and for taking care of Harry. You have done more than anyone else to give two out of place boys a decent start in life.

To Albus Brian Percival Wulfric Dumbledore, I leave you the Dark Arts texts of the Black family. I hope that they help you fight the good fight. I also leave you a letter. I should have told you all that before this happened but there never seemed to be time. Please take it seriously.

To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave you 5,000 galleons and my thanks for being Harry’s friend when he needed one. I also remember making friends with a Potter on my way up to school so I know how important such friendship can be.

To Fred and George Weasley, I leave you 5,000 galleons each with the hopes that you invest it into your business as well as a special book filled with secrets. I am told you already know the passwords. Please use it to help yourselves in your business. Everyone needs some laughs now and again if only to remind them that the light is always there.

The twins looked really excited at that and danced some in their chairs. The others just rolled their eyes at their antics while Harry felt certain that the money and the book would be put to good use. The twins were already brilliant and with Marauder secrets they could only get better.

To Hermione Jean Granger, I leave you 5,000 galleons as well as the remainder of the Black Library minus the Dark Arts books that have aleady been disposed of. I just want to say again that I have never met a more clever witch than yourself and that includes Harry’s mother Lily who was terrifyingly brilliant. I am sorry I am not there to see where this gift takes you.

And lastly to Harry James Potter, my Heir in all things, I leave you the remainder of my property and goods, to include the title as Head of the Black Family. May you help my family become less of a Dark family and enter into the light. I love you Prongslet and I’m sorry things came to this. I wanted nothing more than to take care of you as a proper Godfather should, to be everything that your parents had wanted me to be. You take care of yourself Harry and keep your friends close and please, for me, find love.

Thus ends the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Orion Black. So mote it be.

The goblin shuffled some paper as he finished and looked up at the assembly, saying, “I have forms for you all to fill out in order to obtain your bequests. Thank you.”

Harry sat there, leaning back in his chair, eyes unfocused, thinking about all this. A whole life reduced to a few lines in a Will. It so wasn’t worth it. There was nothing that had been read that made up for losing Sirius. They had grown closer and closer as time had gone along and now he was berefit his Godfather. He had lost so much throughout his life and once again he had a bloody pile of gold and things instead of a loved one. It wasn’t fair. And to be getting this when he was the root cause of Sirius’s death was even more wrong. Closing his eyes, he tried to regain his equilibrium, breathing slow and steady, fighting against the prickle of tears in the corners of his eyes.

When he opened them again Hermione and Professor Dumbledore were the only ones left in the room except for the goblin who looked a touch irritated at business not having been completed promptly. “Yes sir?”

“Harry, I am sorry you had to be here for this. I had hoped to spare you from this, that you would be able to heal from this pain without having this burden thrust upon you. I intended to visit you later this summer and tell you everything about this. I only want you to stay safe.” Professor Dumbledore did look contrite as he spoke.

“Thank you sir but in case people haven’t told you yet, we need to find a better way to keep me safe. I am not going to be restricted to that house and I am going to find ways to contact my friends. Being trapped at Privet Drive is torture enough as is without adding direct confinement to the list,” growled out Harry, his irritation with the Headmaster showing.

Dumbledore watched him with somewhat sad eyes. “You know I do these things for your own safety.”

“I appreciate that sir and I am grateful for that but safety without freedom might as well be prison.” Hermione smiled at him when he said that helping to bleed away some of his anger.

Dumbledore took a few moments to stare at Harry before he said, “I see. Will you at least continue to live there until you are escorted away?”

“Yes. I can do that. You said there was a very good reason to stay them over the summer and I am not disputing that fact but I am disputing the notion that the guards you have set would rather keep me trapped behind the wards and in the house rather than allow me to have a life. That is no longer an option,” reiterated Harry. “I won’t put up with that anymore.”

“Of course. Will you allow the guards to watch over you as you wander about?” asked Dumbledore, a touch concerned.

“That sounds fine sir. I don’t begrudge help in keeping me safe but I do object to becoming a prisoner in the name of safety. I recall reading that whoever sacrifes their freedom for security deserves neither,” stated Harry, noting that Hermione did seem pleased with him again.

“Very well Harry, I will make sure that the others understand that. I will still come by later in the summer to pick you up from them. Will that be alright?”

Harry’s face softened a little at this, as did his voice. “It will be fine Professor.”

Dumbledore brightened some and said, “Very well. Good day to you both.”

Hermione bounced up and hugged him once the door was closed behind the Headmaster. While surprising, it was a nice sensation but he could tell that it wasn’t nearly as tight as usual. Harry remembered why that was the case and frowned, his guilt bothering him. Hermione caught his look and asked, “What?”

“Nothing.”

She just gave him a look that blatantly called him a liar and demanded that he answer her question.

Given that this was a look more often directed at Ron than himself, Harry was quite clear as to the fact that he would be in trouble if he didn’t spill before things escalated. “You’re… you’re still injured.”

Her eyes narrowed, “Yes… and I am getting better. Now stop with that. You aren’t Dolohov and you didn’t cast the curse. Now, I assume that we only have a little bit of time before you’re heading back?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to stay out too long, given the fact that it could put me at some risk in someplace as open as Diagon Alley. In places that aren’t wizarding it might be less of an issue but here… not good. The odds of a Death Eater spotting me are higher than I would like. But enough about that… I wanted to let you know I picked up more books and am looking through them.”

This caught her attention as he figured it might. “Oh? What about?”

“Well, uh… controlling my emotions.” It was embarrassing to admit but he was able to, mostly.

She beamed at him. “That’s a great idea Harry. I read that controlling your emotions can help with occlumency as well as the fact that it might help you in dealing with Malfoy and other prats like him.”

That was useful but it was still a bit weak. Those certainly hadn’t been ideas he had when he had been looking at the books earlier. As it was the topic left him feeling a bit exposed. He looked a bit abashed and said, “Look can we talk about this elsewhere?”

Hermione looked at Harry with a cocked head then nodded, clearly deciding something. “Sure. Have Tonks get you to my house later? I was going to hit Flourish and Blots before heading home so could you handle that? Would my house be safe enough to talk to me?”

Harry nodded. “I’m sure she can manage that.”

“Great.” Hermione turned to the goblin that was still in the room, looking even more pained that things still hadn’t been finished up. “Excuse me sir, I have a quick question.”

The goblin looked at her with some irritation at being held up but then sighed in acceptance. “Yes?”

“Do you have warding services available?”

Seeing that the topic was business the Goblin brightened up some as his frown grew less pronounced. “Yes we do.”

“Excellent,” proclaimed Hermione. “I would like to contract you to ward my house.”

“Really Hermione?” asked Harry, somewhat surprised. “I didn’t think they could do that since it’s a home in a muggle neighborhood.”

Hermione turned to the goblin, one eyebrow raised. “Will that be an issue?”

“Not at all miss. Warding properties within muggle neighborhoods is fairly commonplace and has been for a while now.”

She grinned at Harry and said, “Well, get going. I will see you at the house soon.”

Harry was fairly confused as he signed the necessary paperwork, collected a new key and a collection of documents before leaving the room. Tonks was waiting for him just down the hall. He came alongside her and as they left the bank Harry murmured, “She’s crazy.”

Tonks apparently overheard him. “What did Hermione do this time?”

Harry explained about Hermione wanting to ward her parent’s house. Tonks nodded along and then said, “No, I understand what she is doing but she is skirting a pretty fine line. Trying to make sure her parents are safe is not a bad plan. From what I remember that is pretty much allowed since it is her direct blood relations.”

“I get that, but her first thought when she had money was that? It was almost like she didn’t even think about the library she had gotten.”

“Maybe she didn’t have the resources prior to this to take care of it. It’s a very pragmatic response.” Tonks shrugged, unconcerned.

Harry nodded. He understood pragmatism as that was very much how he fought, doing anything he could think of if he thought it was useful. Maybe there were things he was missing out on though, things that would be even more pragmatic and make combat a touch easier. Actually, anything at all that would make combat easier would be a godsend. “Tonks, speaking of pragmatism, are there any pragmatic sorts of things I could get to help with fighting?”

She nodded, easily seeing where he was going with this. “Oh certainly, there are a number of things. There are wand holsters that can keep your wand safe or have it leap to your hand.” Pulling back a sleeve she showed him her wrist holster. “It can really speed up your response time. Didn’t the Twins come up with things that might help? Anything to mess with the enemy or protect yourself is useful.”

Harry thought about it, remembering a few things they talked about, and nodded. “I think I remember them mentioning something along those lines. And they were looking into other products at that time to help with shielding.”

“From the scuttlebutt I heard at work, right now they are actually supplying things to auror forces but if you talk to them I am sure they would be happy to help you. I mean… they like you.”

Harry grinned as he realized that he might be able to do something immediately to help assuage his feelings of guilt. “Let’s drop by their store before we head back. I want to get several wand holsters from wherever they’re sold and also pick up some of the shield hats. If it will help me and my friends to be safe and be able to react faster, then the cost is totally worth it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chap. 5

With a pop, Tonks and Harry arrived at the Granger’s backyard. Harry still disliked that mode of transport given how compressed it made him feel but he could easily see its importance. Tonks had shrunk the bags they had picked up and Harry was carrying them in his pocket, kind of looking forward to giving things to Hermione. Harry walked up and knocked on the back door, standing slightly to the side politely. After a brief wait it opened up and there was Hermione looking excited. She was nearly bouncing. “Come in.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed so very excited. The only thing he had really seen her this excited over was books and so that had to be it, not that he was insane enough to say that out loud. “Hermione, are you okay?”

She waved off his concern, her smile never faltering. “I’m good. But you need to see what I found in the used book section.”

“They have a used book section?” Harry didn’t remember there being a used book section of Flourish and Blotts. He had been there several times and he distinctly recalled never seeing anything of that nature.

With a sigh of long suffering Hermione looked at him flatly. It was a very familiar look. “Harry, it’s the section upstairs from where the Weasleys often buy their books. I discovered it a few years back and it has been really helpful. I have made some great finds there of some difficult to find books.”

Tonks chuckled and shook her head. She knew of that portion of the store as well. “So what did you find?”

“Well, I got a number of interesting books on various topics but more importantly there were some Auror training manuals in the DADA section and better still was a training manual the Ministry used in the 40s to help train those who went to fight Grindelwald. Isn’t that awesome?” She bounced a few times, which served to distract Harry briefly, his eyes struggling to stay locked on hers.

“Really? That’s great. Those will be very useful.” He really hoped Hermione hadn’t noticed where his eyes had drifted. If she had he would be utterly mortified. Maybe focusing on the books, which did sound amazingly useful, would help keep him out of trouble.

Tonks seemed really excited by this as well, pumping her fist as she crowed, “Yes, I don’t have to go home and grab my books and leave Harry unprotected!”

The two teens stared at the auror in some consternation. She looked back at them, with a very innocent expression plastered on her face. “What?”

Hermione shook her head dismissively and said, “Anyway, we can talk about those later. You said you wanted to talk to me about the books you got from the library away from others?”

Harry’s face colored some at that. He had hoped that she would have forgotten but that was so unlike Hermione he didn’t even know why he had bothered with that notion. It might be better to get this over with so he could not think about it. “Uh… yeah. I knew you would want to know about these when I got them, because, well… you. While I was waiting for Tonks, I looked through the self-help section of the library and found some things. I wanted to get some help with the anger I have been feeling and some other… things. Part of me wanted to not pick these up but part of me knew it might be for the best and anyway… well here.”

He pulled free the books from his book bag and handed them to Hermione, so that only she would be able to see the titles on the spine. While Tonks was nice and family and all, he really didn’t want her to know this much of his business. His friend glanced at the titles, blanched slightly upon reading one of them, and hugged Harry tightly. “I am so sorry Harry. I am sure this book will help and if you need anything, anything at all please ask. You know I am here for you… right?”

Blushing even more and feeling his guilt rise up when he felt her wince during their hug, Harry just nodded in response, emotions too riled up for words. Hermione held him for a moment longer before letting him go, changing the topic nicely as she said, “Wait a moment, let me write down all the titles we have. If you need me to I can buy the non-magical books so that we own them outright and you can always have the resource on hand I will. These sorts of things can be good resources and we shouldn’t neglect those.”

Harry held in his sigh of gratitude at that. “Thanks Hermione. I was going to ask you about that, because there are a couple of other books that might be nice to have. I think I am starting to come over to your way of thinking about books. Please don’t gloat.”

“Okay… I gotta know what book you are talking about,” declared Tonks, trying to return to the prior book topic.

Hermione cut her eyes over to Harry, noted his face, and shook her head. “No… no I don’t think you do. What’s important is that Harry will get some help from the book, that’s all. That should be sufficient.”

“You’re serious?” Tonks asked, looking between the two teens.

“Absolutely. It’s Harry’s business, if he wants to tell you I am sure he will. Now Harry, if you want I can look for more books on the SAS, tactics, training techniques and the such. Our library has an excellent collection and the local bookstore and I have an understanding so if I go in with that sort of request they will help me find the best books on the subject that are out there. They have been very helpful in obtaining the books I’ve needed to work on my A levels last year and have helped me get the texts I need for my HE work. And I can check a few places I know of for actual SAS training manuals, but those are very specialty store items and may take me a while to hunt down.” Hermione looked very serious about the whole subject. “I’ll get on it as fast as I can so you have plenty of time over the summer to do the reading you wanted. I guess this means that we’re doing the DA again?”

Harry blinked a few times. Hermione already had her A levels and was working on University credits? Well, if anyone was going to overachieve to that degree it would be Hermione. That couldn’t have been easy. “Uh… yeah. I figured that with Voldemort being more active that extra work in DADA couldn’t hurt, regardless of who the teacher is. We might want to contact everyone and tell them what they should start doing, giving them a heads up. If people could get started with the running and the exercising that would certainly help. And I need to work through these other books to see if they can give me anymore ideas.”

“You have your homework done, yes?”

“Most of it. I still have potions to do but otherwise the work is done.”

Hermione nodded, pleased with Harry’s focus. “Well done Harry. I am happy you got that taken care of. Right, I think we should probably write to Professor McGonnagal about this, getting the group formal permission as a DADA club.”

“Won’t that mean we have to take anyone who shows up?” asked Harry a bit worried.

Hermione bit her lip and then nodded slightly, “Probably, but you are talking about helping a lot of people get better at these skills. I mean, if the end of this year taught us anything it’s that we are going to need to defend ourselves. And from what I’ve heard, the Aurors just aren’t prepared to deal with Death Eaters. Your idea, looking to the Military for ideas can radically change things up. If necessary we can hold separate DA meetings for the core members to cover the more advanced stuff you come up with. I mean, not everyone probably needs to know the pure combat stuff, but we can offer it and see if anyone takes it.”

Harry nodded. That made sense and when Hermione put it that way it made it sound like he had a brilliant idea rather than simply grasping at straws. If it worked and if it kept the people he cared about alive then it would all be worth it. “That makes sense. If we let the DA members know about the need for doing the physical training now they might be ready by fall. I mean… that was one of the things I noticed in the Ministry, we were faster than them but we had no endurance. Their running was more sporadic as they were supremely confident. If we had been in better shape we might have actually been able to gain some distance on them.”

Hermione nodded. “I can make that happen. It would be an easy enough message to pass out to everybody.”

“So this is how the revolution starts,” said Tonks, apparently impressed with them.

Both teens grinned at her.

“Well, sorry to hinder this brainstorming session but I need to get Harry back and then I’ll probably get chewed out by Dumbledore for taking him to Gringotts.”

“Of course. Here Harry, let me grab the books I got for you so you can go.” Hermione left the table and returned shortly with a fairly full bag. He could see the bit of strain she had while carrying it.

“Thanks Hermione. I’ll get right to work on these.” Harry really was thankful for everything she had done and was doing.

“Don’t forget to finish your homework as well. Once that’s done it is completely out of your way so you can concentrate on whatever you want.”

He smiled at her, amused with her homework obsession. It certainly helped during the school year but over the summer it was just funny. “And let me guess, you’re already done, right?”

“Well, I might add to my History of Magic report but fundamentally yes.” Hermione smiled a little as her cheeks colored.

“Do you want to look through some of these SAS books?” offered Harry. “I mean there is still over a week before they are due and I am positive that I will be back to see you before then. Besides, you might see something I’ve missed.”

“Thank you. That does sound interesting and a fascinating addition to our usual Defense work.” She took several of the books indicated and handed the others back. “Call me later?”

With a grin, Harry replied, “Absolutely. I only wish I had realized sooner that calling you might be an option.”

With a chuckle, Hermione teased back, “Well, you are slow sometimes.”

Harry blushed and looked down at his trainers which prodded the guilt which was never far away and the whole thing spurred a memory. “I’m working on that. I am aware of how… well dumb might be the best word for that.” Hermione looked like she was going to protest but he kept going. “I know what you’re going to say and even you can’t deny that for someone with a target on my head I really haven’t been doing what I need to in order to have a chance to survive. Except for these last two years I haven’t really tried to learn what I needed to. Being good at just one area is not going to help me. I need to get better, so I can make sure I don’t die or lose the people I care about. Oh, and speaking about that I need to get better clothes. None of mine really fit, except for my school clothes, since they are all Dudley’s hand me downs. I figured that you and maybe Luna might want to take me out shopping, since I figure you two will have the best ideas as to what might look good on me. I… I really don’t have a clue how to do that.”

Hermione furrowed her brow briefly. He could tell she wanted to say something about his earlier statements but then gave a short sigh and then smiled a little as she said, “I am sure we can manage that. You give me a day and I’ll try to set something up with my mother. But Luna… are you sure?”

Groaning slightly, knowing of Hermione’s issues with the girl, Harry said, “The couple of times we’ve talked Luna seems to get me. I mean, not in the same way you do but it is kind of similar. She is really insightful despite being different. I kind of think you and she would get along if you got past the whole Nargle issue. I mean, she is in Ravenclaw and there has to be a reason for that.”

“If that’s what you want Harry I’ll try. But what about Ginny? Do you want me to try and get her to come along?”

With a shake of his head he said, “Honestly Hermione, what are the odds that Ginny could come and do this without her mother getting involved?”

Hermione nodded in agreement, “None. No, that makes sense and while Molly is a wonderful person pythons don’t hug and hang on as tightly. Okay, I will get this set up. Did you want to come along Tonks?”

The Auror grinned, clearly pleased by the invite. “That would be fun. Can’t let my cousin get terrible clothes now can I? Besides this way even Dumbledore shouldn’t have an issue. Muggle world with an Auror guard… that is pretty safe. Well, come on Harry, we need to get going. I’m going to get chewed out enough as is.”

Hermione got to her feet and hugged Harry. He was a bit stiff at first and then tried to relax into it. He had to admit it felt really nice. All Hermione’s hugs felt really nice he admitted to himself. However, it also gave him a… response he hadn’t ever had the few times they had shared hugs. It was mortifying and he really hoped that Hermione didn’t notice it his growing issue. She let him go and Harry shifted his book bag in front of him to try and mask his erection. Hermione kept smiling, so maybe he was in the clear. At least he hoped he was. “I’ll see you soon Harry.”

“Talk to you later Hermione. Oh… before I go, these are for you.” He handed her a wrist holster and a shield hat. “These are some things I picked up from the twins, this is a shield hat will keep you safe from a lot of hexes and curses, just nothing really major. And the other thing is something I picked up from Olivander’s. I asked him about these, making sure he knew why I needed them. This wand holster is the best they have. It can keep your wand safe from Accio and with a wrist twist, pop it into your hand. This can really speed up response time instead of fumbling around with it.”

“Thank you Harry. I promise I will practice with the holster. I don’t want to let you down.”

“You never do.”

Tonks and Harry walked out into the backyard and once she got a hold of Harry she gave Hermione a cheeky wave and disapparated the two of them. Soon enough they were back at the library, out of sight. Tonks grinned a bit and said, “Let’s get going Harry. I have no idea who is on guard right now so I might as well help you deal with that.”

“Thanks Tonks. I really so don’t want to deal with that right now. So what do you think about this idea of mine?” asked Harry, curious about the feedback from someone who fought Deatheaters professionally.

“The training you’re proposing and using those different tactics? Well, I know that Moody would be really impressed. He likes thinking outside the box in terms of combat, and I have to admit that he has something with that. He uses his full spell arsenal to come up with anything that can work. Though even he tends to stand there in a spell fight, like Hermione mentioned. This can turn out to be a really good thing if the tactics mesh well because it would be the first real change to how combat is dealt with in a very long time. I think no one has thought of this because it’s rare for a muggleborn to get into a position of power in the Ministry, especially in terms of the Auror Corp. Would it be okay if I briefed my bosses on this idea of yours?”

“Sure. I mean, Director Bones could use all the help she can get Death Eaters and if I can help then that’s what I want to do. I just want to make sure that they no longer prove to be an issue for everyone.” Harry really did want to help because if he didn’t then he would be as bad as Voldemort in a lot of ways. Trying to fix the problem was better than sitting back and wishing it would get fixed all by its own. It was almost like he had an obligation for that thanks to the bloody prophecy. “Oh… maybe she should be made aware that she is probably a huge target for Death Eaters?”

“I think she is aware of that Harry but I will pass that on.”

“Well, I was thinking what with Fudge having issues and the Ministry battle not going well maybe Voldemort might go after her to ensure she doesn’t have a chance to become Minister or grow more effective. If I were him it’s what I would do.” Harry shrugged his shoulders. He had at least passed on his reasoning. That was the best he could do at the moment. “I really don’t want Susan to get caught in this.”

“So you’re looking out for your DA members? I can respect that. Like I said all I can do is pass it on.”

Up ahead they spotted number 4. Harry deflated some, seeing his prison come into view. How he wished he could be someplace else, because even with the sort of détente that had been established over this summer they still treated him as if he were something needing to be scraped off the bottoms of their shoes. He really didn’t need that while trying to get past losing Sirius and getting his friends injured. Sighing heavily he grumbled, “Well, back to Durzkaban.”

Tonks hugged him and said, “It’ll be okay Harry. You’ll see. And you’re doing all you can to not be here. I’m sure it will all be over soon.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chap. 6

“Master Harry?”

With a snort, Harry woke up and glanced over to look at the blurry figure near him. It was short and a touch greyish, at least he thought it was. The faint amount of light from outside gave the room some illumination. He reached over and grabbed his glasses, hands groping some. Once on the house elf snapped into focus and Harry frowned in confusion. “Dobby?”

“Yes Master Harry Potter sir, I brings you a letter from Miss Luna. Since she is your friend I brought it to you right away. She’s very nice. I like her.”

Covering his mouth to mask his yawn some, Harry nodded a little and said, “She really is nice isn’t she.”

“Here is the letter Master Harry Potter sir.” Dobby handed over a somewhat thick envelope and waited, looking rather attentive.

With a bit of a chuckle, Harry shook his head, amused at how the House Elf was acting. “Thank you Dobby. You really are the best house elf ever. Your help has been great. Oh… I have a few more letters for you to take, but that can wait till the morning. Have you had any problems so far?”

“No sir, Dobby hasn’t had any problems.” His head shook making his ears flop a little.

“That’s good to hear. I don’t want you hurt or anything while you are doing this.” Harry really tried to make that clear to the excitable House Elf who was overly prone to going too far with things.

Dobby sniffled a few times, his voice heavy with emotion, saying, “Master Harry Potter is a great and powerful wizard who cares for poor Dobby. Dobby doesn’t deserve this kindness.”

Not wanting a repeat of his second year misadventures at home, Harry said, “Well, you’re my friend and I appreciate all you are doing for me. You totally deserve this.”

Dobby nodded his head, his ears only flapping slightly this time. “Thank you Harry Potter. I will take care of these letters at once.”

With a pop he disappeared before Harry was able to say anything, or making it clear that it could be done in the morning. That House Elf would be the death of him.

That thought hit him hard. Harry frowned and tried to move past the image or Sirius falling into the Veil, of seeing Hermione lying there unnaturally still. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The book talked about breathing slowly and deeply as a way to relax and get past these things. He let it out slowly and repeated that again. It was shaky and rough and oddly enough was helping. He wiped the wetness around his eyes away. No, he wasn’t going to think about that right now. There were other things he needed to think about right now.

Looking at the envelope Harry tried to decide if he was going to read it right now or not. What exactly had Luna wanted to say to him and with so many pages? Slipping a finger under the flap, he opened the letter and pulled out a copy of the Quibbler and the letter, which was not as large as he had feared. There was another sheet of paper with some paint on it. He stared at it trying to make some sense of it. Unable to figure that out he put it down and turned to the letter that he really hoped would make more sense.

_Dear Harry,_

_The Blibbering Humdingers told me you might be a bit lonely and grumpy over the summer and that made me sad. Because of that and that I wanted to perhaps make you smile I have tried to send you several things but the owl always came back confused. I blame Dabberblimps for that problem. They are known to interfere with Owl Post and other things, causing things to go awry. It’s a very good thing your friend Dobby arrived in one piece because I was getting worried that there could be a great migration of Dabberblimps going on strong enough to disrupt the Owl Post._

_Anyway, what I was going to tell you before isn’t as important as what I am going to tell you now. I hope you are having a nice summer regardless of the end of the school year and what the Blibbering Humdingers are saying. You know, reading is good for you and I am sure that the books you are going through right now will be very helpful in the future. You would be surprised what good wisdom can be hidden within the pages of a book. Just remember to smile as well, because besides making you feel better it annoys bad people._

_I miss you, well you and Hermione more than anyone else, because when you were around or I guess that would be both of you, it was very much like having friends and I do so love that feeling. It was something I haven’t felt in a long time. Oh, I also wanted to let you know I am painting something. Here is a splotch of one of the colors so you can get an idea of what it looks like. I hope you like it._

_Luna Lovegood_

The gold splotch of paint that filled the center of the parchment looked rather odd and he just shook his head. Luna really was something else, what he had no idea. There really was no way to describe how she saw the world because he would have to understand it some in order to define it. He needed to get her to understand that he really was her friend. Hermione might not be her friend considering how they seemed to be at odds all the time. That she had joined them at the Ministry had been a bit of a surprise. It might have simply been because she had been there when it all went down but Neville, Ron, and Ginny weren’t surprises. The blond Ravenclaw had been an unexpected but immensely useful addition to the group. Her idea to use the Thestrals to get to London had been brilliant. They had been at a loss and then she had just suggested that they fly. Even Hermione had been impressed by that.

He would need to write her back that was for sure. If he didn’t she might doubt his overtures of friendship and if anyone needed friends more than he did it was Luna. From what he knew her life at Hogwarts was more in line with what he had guessed his would be before first year. No, she was someone that Harry would ensure knew she had friends. He just hadn’t figured how to make that happen yet. His yawn surprised him as it stretched the corners of his mouth almost painfully. Perhaps he should get some more sleep before he worried about something like ensuring she had friends and writing her back.

When he woke up, Harry looked around the room blearily and his eyes lit on the letter. That brought the thoughts from last night back to the forefront. He yawned and sat up, stretching out his tight back and shoulders. Maybe he should reply to her after his run? That would be something and allow him time to fully clear out the cobwebs. Thinking well right after he got up was not one of his skills. Hermione was the only one he knew that seemed to wakeup clear headed and ready to face the day. At least he wasn’t as bad as Ron who needed an army to wake him and his brain was lucky to engage before lunch. If anyone was not a morning person it was his first friend.

Pulling on the clothes he was running in and an oversized button up of Dudley’s to work as a light jacket he tried to think of what he needed. He just sort of stared at his dresser, nothing registering. Yeah, he was not awake yet but his eyes did spot something he was missing. He strapped on his wand holster and grabbed his hat, settling it on his head. Might as well get used to wearing them so it would become almost reflex to have them ready and worn. That was a very Moody sort of position but it made sense. Maybe the twins could make these with different styles of hats? He would ask them the next time he saw them since he was an investor and all.

Since he still woke early thanks to growing up with the Dursley’s banging on his cupboard in plenty of time for him to make breakfast for Vernon before he had to head off to work he knew that perhaps only his Aunt was awake at this hour. A glance to the digital clock sitting lopsided on his dresser told him that there was enough time for him to go on his run, change, and then make it downstairs to help with the meal. His relatives really did try to exploit him as much as possible when he was here over the summer. Generally he let them get away with it but this summer he had too much going on to care or even put up with too much. Basically he did a little more than the minimum needed to keep them off his back. It was honestly about the only interaction that he could handle with them. Maybe the talking to they had been given when he returned to King’s Cross had had some effect. Maybe.

He exited the house and stretched, doing what he could to warm up his muscles. That reminded him that he wanted to get a book on exercise as he could use some actual knowledge about this rather than what little he had been able to surmise. With a sigh, thinking about the fact that he had never used the library this much, he took off down the road, eyes tracking everywhere trying to keep up constant vigilance. It wouldn’t do to have his freedom if he did something stupid like allowing a Death Eater to sneak up and kill him. Wouldn’t Dumbledore be right there to point out that he had told Harry so? The odds weren’t very likely that a Death Eater attack in Little Whinging would happen but then again the odds were against Dementors coming there as well and look how that turned out.

He increased his pace a little and he huffed on down the street, running in the near quiet of the subdivision where Privet Dr. was located. He pulled up the baggy shorts he had inherited and that seriously interfered with the swing of his arms. He thought he had tied his belt tight enough. Yeah, he needed to get better clothes for this if he was going to continue. These shoes didn’t really protect his feet all that much as he pounded down the pavement. There were so many things to do and he was stuck here trying to make his stupid clothes work. The problem as he figured was scheduling. He honestly didn’t want to abuse Dobby by using him as a messenger or anything and since there seemed to be a bit of an issue with his owl post he didn’t want to put Hedwig at risk. He had to do something but he was still at a bit of a loss.

He reached the turn around point and increased his pace again, trying as fast as he could to Privet Drive. He was panting a great deal and his body felt damp, rivulets of sweat moved down him, soaking his shirt. Suddenly he stumbled as one of his shoes simply gave up, the tape giving way, and the shoe tearing in half.  As he stood there, holding the two pieces in his hands he came to the conclusion that it was unsalvageable. Grumbling in annoyance, Harry made his way back to the house frowning severely. This was ridiculous.

Once he was showered, he changed clothes and tried to fix his shoe. It wasn’t working well as the tape could only do so much. He totally needed to go shopping sooner rather than later. Problem was, he had no idea where to go or what to get. He needed assistance. “Dobby?”

The elf popped in, wringing his hands in anticipation, looking up at him with wide eyes, “Yes Harry Potter sir?”

“I know this is a bit of an imposition but can you take some letters to Luna and Hermione for me?” The more assistance he got from Dobby the more he felt like the wrath of Hermione would descend on him. S.P.E.W. was no joke to her and this was nearly enough reason to receive a stern talking to.

“Dobby would be happy to do this for the great Harry Potter.”

Harry sighed and nodded, well aware that this might be the best he could get. If he always asked politely for help, despite knowing that Dobby would never refuse him, then maybe he wouldn’t get in as much trouble for House Elf welfare. He scribbled a quick note to Hermione about his desperate need for shopping and begging for her help. He wrote a longer response to Luna’s letter and asked if she would like to go shopping with him as well. It was at least a stronger overture towards friendship. He really had no clue what to do when clothes shopping but was fairly certain it wasn’t completely like a visit to Madam Malkins. Getting as much assistance as possible would be a good plan. Besides, there would be a few positives to having both girls helping him.

Using some spell-o-tape he had borrowed from Ron, Harry tried to tape up his shoe. It worked fairly well as a quick and dirty fix but Harry was certain he needed better shoes if he was going to continue running. He headed downstairs to help with the cooking, as he was somewhat okay with cooking the Dursleys breakfast, since it was a skill that he was happy with knowing.

After the meal he started on his chores, knocking them out quickly as he was very familiar with how to do everything the way that Aunt Petunia wanted. Once that was completed he went upstairs to his room to get away from the Dursleys. There were books he needed to read and the quiet would help with that. Walking into his room he was a bit surprised to see Dobby waiting on him with two letters in his hands. The door was quickly closed behind him, hoping to ensure that his relatives didn’t see the House Elf. “Thank you Dobby.”

“You’re welcome Harry Potter sir. I was happy to help.” Dobby nodded his head, making his ears bounce some. It really took some effort to refrain from laughing.

Opening the letters was a great distraction and he saw that both girls were good with doing it. Luna even mentioned that she was going to contact Hermione. This was good as it would let her get directions to her house as well. Since tomorrow was Saturday then perhaps that would the best day to go shopping. No Dursleys and clothes that might actually fit him? This really could be fun.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Chap. 7

“You will do no such thing!” Uncle Vernon blustered, his face going red as he set down his paper.

Harry, refusing to be cowed anymore, stood in front of his uncle, eyes tight, book bag thrown over his shoulder and ready to go. His voice was steady and quite pointed when he replied, “Yes, I am and honestly there isn’t anything you can do about it. I am going to see my friend and I will be back later.”

Vernon rose from his seat, standing before Harry with his hands clenched, glowering at Harry, and trying to use his size and presence to intimidate. “Boy, you will listen to me!”

Honestly, after fighting a troll, facing Dementors, a dragon, Grawp, Voldemort and worst of all, the Toad, his Uncle seemed like a small petty challenge. It surprised him when he realized that, that one of his major tormentors for years had been reduced to such a triviality in his life. It was almost dizzying. “I am going out to see my friends. I have already done the majority of chores I do on Saturday as well as a few others to get a jump on tomorrow’s chores. So I am going to walk out of here and I will be back later.”

Vernon seemed to struggle with this notion and this different Harry and harrumphed at him. It almost sounded like the bellow of a walrus. The man sat down heavily and returned to his paper, dismissing Harry as best he could.

Harry scoffed to himself. That’s what he had expected though it was a bit of a surprise that it had actually worked. Who knew that his Uncle was so easily dealt with? Of course, it probably had a lot to do with the fact that ‘freaks’ had chastised the man prior to his heading home, so Vernon was doubtful thinking that he was being ‘watched’. Whatever, if it made Harry’s life any easier than he was all for it. While he had expected an angry, upset Vernon when they had gotten home from King’s Cross, apparently he had underestimated Vernon’s dislike of magic.

He left the building and walked towards the fairly abandoned street near the playground. Seriously, Uncle Vernon and the rest of that family were so annoying. He was aware that they were the ones that had abused him, the ones that caused him so many issues, so many sleepless nights wondering what he had done wrong, why they didn’t love him. With a growl, he kicked a loose stone that flew off and clanged off a light pole. He had to get the hell out of there before his anger swelled out of control. Looking around he realized that no one was looking and that this would be a good spot to call the Knight Bus. He chuckled to himself humorlessly as he stuck his wand up. Clearly whoever was guarding him today was not doing a great job of it or he might have heard something.

The purple Knight Bus slammed to a stop in front of him and Stan Shunpike looked at him curiously said, “’ello, and where you going?”

Harry didn’t want to go directly to Hermione’s house, for security reasons, as who knows if he was recognized, despite having his shield cap pulled down covering his scar. There were too many possibilities of things going wrong but he wanted to get out of there. He gave the address of one of the bus stops where he transferred to go to Crawley. That way he would only have a short bus ride to Crawley and it would make following him more difficult. With a Bang! the Knight Bus started off, flinging him back into his seat. Rather quickly it came to a stop near the bus stop, as there was a bus already there. With a wave and a smile he hopped off the bus and headed towards the stop. He bought his ticket and got on, making sure to check to see if he was being followed.

After he reached his destination and the bus disappeared, Harry turned and headed towards Hermione’s house. If it hadn’t been for his desire to get here early then he would have happily just ridden the regular buses as they were a lot more comfortable and less likely to cause bodily trauma. He had walked a few minutes when there was a Bang from behind him. Hand ready to flick out his wand he turned to scan the area. He relaxed a hair when a very familiar blond stepped off the Knight Bus that was stopped at the bus stop he had just been at before it sped off again. She skipped up to him with a smile on her face as she put on those odd glasses she had gotten in the Quibbler. “Good Morning Harry Potter.”

He smiled softly, pleased to see his favorite Ravenclaw. Her presence helped drain the last of his irritation at his relatives away. The fact that this sweet but admittedly odd girl was teased and bullied all the time just didn’t make any sense to him. But since when did bullies need to make sense. “Good Morning Luna Lovegood.”

Luna snickered. “Shall we go and start this shopping trip. I really hope that the fall at the end of it won’t hurt too much.”

With a quiet laugh, he gestured for her to accompany him. She nodded her head slightly in acceptance and they walked along side by side. “That sounds good. I’ll have to watch out for that as the odds heavily favor me falling over. Perhaps you can pick up some things as well?”

“That might be lovely.” Luna had a bit of her dreamy smile showing. “I must admit that muggle clothes can be very comfortable and useful and certainly different from the average wizarding wear. It does vex Madam Malkin so, but that could also be the amount of Wrackspurts she gains whenever a Death Eater’s child comes in to her store.”

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was a new variation on some of the things Luna had said and experience had taught him that new can be bad or at least problematic. “Death Eaters carry Wrackspurts?”

“Oh yes. I noticed a very large infestation around Bellatraix Black and Lucius Malfoy when we were at the Ministry. That had been a bit of a surprise but then again perhaps I shouldn’t be after all Draco Malfoy brings them into Hogwarts, as they seem to get trapped in his hair gel, and they spread from there. Marcus Flint used to be the main source of the Wrackspurt problem in Hogwarts but now Draco is the primary source. They really do seem to enjoy nesting in his hair. There are of course other carriers you know, but they aren’t the largest sources of individual Wrackspurts in the school. Crabbe and Goyle are barely carriers and certainly not in the numbers needed to infect a school Hogwart’s size but that could simply be that they don’t really need all that many to confuse them and the poor creatures starve if their colony grows too large. At least, that’s been my observation.” Luna so reminded him of Hermione right then that it was almost creepy. They almost had the same lecture tone, only Luna’s was a touch… was dreamy an accurate way of putting it? Harry wasn’t sure.

“That’s fascinating Luna.” The way the blonde girl talked about these creatures made them sound real and something to be concerned over. It did not seem like mere mindless rambling but rather precise analysis. Hermione thought they were ‘ridiculous fabrications’ but Luna was always consistent with the information. At no time did anything she had to say about any of her creatures come across as inaccurate. That had to mean something.

“Indeed. Studying the various behaviors of Wrackspurts and Nargles is one of my favorite past times, as I don’t have any friends.” The way Luna said that almost broke his heart. It was so matter of fact that there seemed to be no way to counter her point.

This couldn’t stand. Harry stopped her by taking hold of her arm and she turned to face him. He looked at her with all the sincerity he could muster and said, “Luna, I am your friend and I will always be there for you if you need me. Never doubt that.”

Her smile started weak but grew in strength. The lithe girl grabbed Harry into a tight hug, nearly Hermione like in its intensity, and just held on to him. Feeling a bit awkward and unsure, Harry pet her back a few times. Really, what was it with girls and tears and why did it unnerve him so? “Uh… it’s okay. Really. Come on, we need to get to Hermione’s so we can go shopping. That should be fun… right?”

Luna let go and nodded, her eyes bright with unshed tears. She seemed a good deal more composed and they walked along. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Harry asked, “You do know that Hermione’s your friend as well… yes?”

With a shrug, Luna replied, “Hermione has never said so and she does seem to take particular issue with my knowledge of magical creatures that she is not familiar with. I do enjoy those debates, as that is the mark of scholarly development but she seems to get more agitated as they go along. At least she doesn’t do anything to me because of it.”

Harry frowned. He had gathered that there were people who teased her but this was a whole other level of bullying. “Some people do things to you?”

The nod was very slight and Harry might have missed it if he hadn’t been looking. His fists clenched unconsciously.

“Well Luna, just so you know, I will protect you. If you have problems like that again, let me know and I will deal with them. That’s what friends do.” His voice was a bit tight as he struggled to reign in his anger. Bullies had always irritated him, one of the reasons he had such enmity towards Draco and his cronies. They reminded him way too much of Dudley and friends, down to the main idiot and his cohorts following along behind.

“Thank you Harry Potter.”

That ended all conversation, which Harry was actually glad for, until they walked up to the house. It gave Harry a chance to use the breathing technique he had learned to calm down. Luna seemed moderately interested in the architecture of the house to the amusement of Harry. Apparently it was so orderly that it would never do for a true wizarding home. Hermione flung open the door as Luna was also fascinated with the doorbell and kept ringing it to hear the tone, a faint smile on her lips. “Harry, Luna, you’re here!”

Harry just grinned at his friend as Luna said, “Hello Hermione, I am looking forward to this experience.”

“Well, let me get my mom and we can go. She agreed to drive us which will help save time.”

“Do you know where we’re going?” asked Harry.

“Yes. But you’ll have to wait and find out where that is.” Hermione gave a mischievous grin and stepped inside, gesturing for them to follow.

Harry rolled his eyes. He knew better than to try and get any information out of her at this point. When she acted like this there was no getting her to change her mind. Her mind was like a steel trap. No amount of cajoling, bartering, bribing or whatnot had ever gotten anything she hadn’t been willing to give in the first place. In all honesty he was sure that her natural occlumency shields would be better than any he could develop for himself. He felt sorry for anyone who tried to break into her mind.

Following her in, he asked, “Do we need to drop by Diagon Alley to pick up some money before we go?”

Hermione turned to answer but before she could an older, slightly off version of her walked towards them. The relationship between them was clear. “You must be Harry and Luna. It is lovely to meet you both. Hermione has told me all about you.”

Harry smiled, took the extended hand and shook it, saying, “Pleased to meet you Mrs. Granger.”

Luna cocked her head and looked at the older woman and then over at Hermione and then back. She was quite thoughtful as she said, “It’s nice to meet you. Did you know you have far fewer Wrackspurts than your daughter? That’s actually rather fascinating. And I am surprised you have any actually, seeing as they tend to bother magicals far more than muggles. Fascinating.”

Everyone stared at Luna in surprise. Hermione colored in obvious embarrassment. Hermione’s mother chuckled at that and said, “I guess thank you is the best response to that. That is indeed an interesting question. You’ll let me know if you discover an answer?” Luna nodded. “And as for the money question Harry, you needn’t worry, I’m paying for you and Luna as well. From what I understand, you both helped to protect my baby from getting killed and this is the least I could do to repay you both.”

Harry looked like he was about to protest but a quick glance at Hermione convinced him that it would be futile to argue. Really, know he knew where Hermione had gotten so much of who she was. He was almost terrified to meet her father if he was the other half of her personality. “Thank you Mrs. Granger.”

“You’re both quite welcome. Now let’s get going. We have a lot to do today.”

Before they moved that far there was a knock at the other end of the house. Hermione went over to answer it, ready to take action. Tonks was standing there looking excited. “Let’s go shopping!”

Harry was a bit surprised to see her and even more surprised no that he thought of it, that the Headmaster wasn’t there to dissuade him taking this risk. “So Professor Dumbledore isn’t complaining too much.”

“I wouldn’t go that far but he did agree that you running around in the muggle world was a good deal safer than you out and about in the wizarding. He also agreed that an Auror familiar with the muggle world was the best protection that could be provided at this point, since you are ‘being stubborn’. His words.” She grinned happily as she said that.

Once introductions were made, they piled into the car, with Luna asking to sit in the front seat since she was curious as to how this car thing worked, and they headed off towards London. The radio was playing softly, allowing for easy conversation between everyone. Luna chimed in, looking up from the steering wheel and the pedals, saying, “Thank you so much for asking me to come shopping with you and have a sleepover. I have never gone shopping in the muggle world. I do so hope it is exciting.”

Mrs. Granger chuckled, “Well it can get exciting every now and then but in my opinion shopping is generally shopping no matter what the world.”

Hermione chuckled as well, giving Harry an amused look.

Harry was unsure what the look meant and furrowed his brows. This only made Hermione giggle which really did not help. What was going on? Tonks was snickering on the other side of Hermione and that made him actually frown. Why were they all so amused? What secret thing had he missed out on?

After a while winding their way closer to downtown London, Harry still far too clueless for his own comfort, they eventually found a parking spot and lead Harry and Luna into Harrods. Harry, noting how many people were moving through the building asked, “Shouldn’t we be worried about being spotted?”

Hermione shook her head and pointed off. “Charring Cross Road is about 2 miles from here, where Diagon Alley is, so it is doubtful that one of the Deatheaters will be this deep into muggle territory. I bet it would make them uncomfortable.”

“So we’re going into Harrods?”

“Absolutely,” replied Hermione’s mother. “They have such wonderful things here and since you have never gone shopping for yourself you deserve the treat. Otherwise we would go someplace less up market.”

Harry took in the huge size of the building, noting all the people moving about with green bags. “And you’re sure they have what we need here?”

Hermione snickered, obviously amused at his lack of familiarity with the store. “Harry they have everything and I do mean everything. We’ll be fine.”

“Come on, we need to head down one floor to reach the men’s department,” stated Mrs. Granger, quite familiar with the buildings layout.

What followed seemed an eternity of trying on all sorts of clothes and shoes, embarrassing moments where the group discussed his underwear needs and then the insanity of the women shopping for themselves, with Luna rather confused over the measuring for bras and the like, dragging Hermione away from the books, Luna poking at all the electronics curiously, him starting over having his inseam measured, and more. It was dizzying for Harry, who had never experienced anything like this. Luna seemed to thrive on the newness of it all, needing to be physically picked up a few times to get her away from various things. There was a meal there at some point to the best he could recall. He had no memory of what it had actually been but he vaguely recalled that it was tasty. His feet and arms ached from carrying so many bags. Given how crowded the store was there was no real privacy in order to shrink the bags without alerting store security that something odd was going on.

Collapsing into the car, Harry stared ahead blankly, his mind practically shut off thanks to the entire event. The ladies were all talking happily and Luna was gushing over the clothes that she had gotten, commenting on how nice muggle bras were. How did they still have any energy? He felt like he was going to die or maybe just fall over and sleep for a day or two. It was unfair. He was the one who had been exercising. Tonks was amused at this which didn’t help. “So Harry… you gonna make it?”

“Guh…”

There were some snickers from the other occupants of the car. Hermione looked over at him concerned, “Are you okay Harry?”

“I’m exhausted… I’m not even sure why I am so exhausted? It’s not like we really did so much but I am done in. How are you all still going?” Harry blurted somewhat aghast.

Mrs. Granger decided to chime in, to give him some sort of guidance. “Practice. A lot of it is because women’s shopping is… well rather difficult thanks to the huge variety of clothes, colors, cuts, sizes, we get used to this taking a while, since no single choice is easy to make. Men don’t have the difficulties we have due to their more limited palate and standardized sizing and can get in and out if they aren’t looking for too much.”

“Charlotte, I wish you weren’t driving… the look on Harry’s face is priceless,” said Tonks, holding back a laugh.

“Oh don’t worry, the rearview mirror is letting me see quite well.”

Harry rubbed his face and hid it in his hands. Since he was currently bracketed by Luna and Hermione, the two girls rubbed his back, one using her palm and the other her nails. His groans of frustrations turned into moans of pleasure as they continued. Maybe this shopping thing wasn’t so bad if he could manage to get this every time. Having these two rubbing his back that way was worth most anything. He could get used to this.


	8. Chapter 8

Chap. 8

Harry pushed the lawn mower, losing himself in the familiar activity that he had been doing since he was seven years old and able to actually push it, thinking about how his life had changed ever since this summer began. The loud rumble of the machine and the vibration under his hands was almost numbing but it did free up his thoughts to deal with far more important issues. There were a lot of things he had to think about not the least of which was that he had new clothes that actually fit him. He also had trainers that fit which was an odd sensation that he had never experienced. That fact alone was amazing. He had never known what well-fitting clothes felt like, ever. This was lovely.

On top of clothes that weren’t a number of sizes too big, when Mrs. Granger had dropped Harry off at Privet Drive, she and the girls had helped him carry in the load which resulted in some… well looks and words. There had been a small… confrontation when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia rose to gripe at Harry and ended up politely dressed down by a very irate dentist. The looks of confusion on their faces when it was explained that Hermione’s mother and father had no magical powers whatsoever were lovely. Gaping in surprise and disbelief was a good look for them. From what he could gather, according to their worldview, freaks begat freaks except when the parents weren’t freaks and had a higher social rank then they did. Watching them swallow back their comments was an amazing experience. How his Aunt could possibly think like that given that her parents had been normal was beyond him?

Dudley only seemed a little confused by Harry’s new clothes, especially since he hadn’t gotten anything new in days. His aunt explained things to her brutish son but Harry wasn’t so sure how well he had gotten it. Dudley muttered, grumbled and stormed upstairs where he slammed the door behind him. Harry had been pleased.

Another thing Harry noticed was that the mowing was easier than he remembered it being. This was certainly a sign that his exercise regime was starting to be helpful. He did feel a bit stronger and more able to handle these aggravating chores without collapsing at the end of the day. It was certainly a nice development. If he was showing improvement with this then it was possible that he would be able to handle a fight better. Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Training for what he had to face instead of sitting around of working hard to be a Seeker.

The lawn was done shortly and the garden had been suitably weeded before mowing so Harry smiled that he could have a nice cool shower to get clean and help with the heat of the day. It wasn’t as hot as he usually remembered it being over the summer, especially with the greater number of cold and dreary days that happened. Harry had to wonder about that. It was effecting the flowers, making his aunt grumpy, not that there was anything he could do about it not matter what he had learned from Professor sprout. As well, he had to wonder how Mundungus was able to sleep and snore through the sound of the mower, occasionally creating a louder rumble. The man had to be drunk, again. He felt so safe and protected knowing that an alcoholic was guarding him against the threat of Voldemort.

Once he had showered and dressed in something not covered in sweat, he headed downstairs to get some water. Filling his glass from the faucet he drank it down happily, sighing between deep gulps. He refilled his glass, needing more when the doorbell rang. His Aunt Petunia and he exchanged a confused glance, both unsure of whom it might be. His aunt rose to her feet and Harry moved out of the line of fire from the front door, just in case it was an enemy. Peering around the corner while his aunt opened the door he was as ready as he could be.

“Yes, can I help you?”

Harry was able to see past her the person standing calmly at the door. He was of average height, wearing a suit with his hands clasped in front. He smiled politely, reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like a wallet. “Yes, good afternoon ma’am. My name is Albert Cook and I am a representative of the Her Majesty’s Government. I am here to speak with a Harry James Potter. It is my understanding that he lives here. Here, my warrant card.”

No matter how stunned and freaked Harry was it seemed that his aunt was even more freaked out by this man. She just stared at him blankly, making him shift uncomfortably, finally asking, “Ma’am? Mrs. Dursley? Are you okay?”

“Are… are you one of them?” Her voice was shaky, weak, her discomfort obvious. In all honesty Harry had no idea what could be going through her mind. He was a bit too busy trying to figure out what the Government would want with him. Surely Mundungus was supposed to prevent this sort of thing but the man was beyond useless.

Mr. Cook furrowed his brows in consternation, “I’m sure that I don’t know what you mean Ma’am. If you mean am I an agent of Her Majesty, than yes I am. I am simply here to speak with Mr. Potter, if at all possible, and perhaps escort him somewhere. Is he here perchance?”

Before his aunt had a chance to deny his presence and shut the door, he came around the corner and spoke up. “Yes, you wanted to see me?”

“Ah… Mr. Potter. It is a pleasure to meet you. May we speak outside by my car?” Mr. Cook was dressed in a nice suit, looking far better than his uncle ever had, and even his light brown hair looked stylish. It was a touch disconcerting. This man carried himself casually and came across far more well to do than his Uncle ever managed.

“Sure.” There was no reason to say otherwise so he walked out with the gentleman and they stopped at the man’s car, parked slightly up the street from number 4.

Mr. Cook wasted no time getting to the point. “Mr. Potter, my superiors at the Security Service would like to speak with you, if that is convenient.”

“Uhm… what? The Security Service wants to talk to me.” The whole idea of it was insane. And that had little to do with the notion that it could destroy any illusion of secrecy for the wizarding world.

“Yes they do Mr. Potter. Is there going to be a problem?”

“No… no nothing I can think of. I have nothing pressing so I guess I can go with you.”

Mr. Cook gestured to the car with a faint smile. Harry got in on the passenger side and buckled up. The car looked rather plain and ordinary for a spook from MI5 to be driving it but then again what did he know about those things. The drive was completed in silence, Harry being left to his own thoughts. He was worried. There was no question in his mind that this wasn’t a Death Eater trap as the Pureblood idiots would never lower themselves like this. Harry was mostly unsure what the hell was happening and wishing he had Hermione with him for support and the possibility that she might just figure things out.

They didn’t go far, just to the other edge of Little Whinging where there were a few warehouses. It was certainly remote and isolated enough for a secret meeting. They pulled up to one and Mr. Cook stopped the car by a plain white door. Harry looked at the door and then looked at his driver, asking what to do now with his expression. Mr. Cook obliged, “I was told to drive you here and wait so I can return you home. My superiors are inside and wish to meet with you.”

Cautiously, with Moody’s mantra running through his head, Harry exited the car, his eyes going everywhere, trying to see everything. There was still a lot of practice to go before he could take everything in with a glance. The door was unlocked and opened easily, not even creaking like he had feared. Walking into the large space he saw a couch, a few chairs, and a coffee table set up on a large Persian rug placed in the middle of the warehouse. Still scanning the space as best he could, Harry made his way to the chairs. This was it. This was where he would find out what the muggle government wanted with him. This was also like a few of the spy movies he had caught bits and pieces of and that really wasn’t helping his nerves.

Three gentlemen waited there, one of whom looked a good bit older than the others. The older one rose from his chair and walked towards Harry, extending his hand, “Ah… Mr. Potter, a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Stephan Lander and I am the Director-General of MI5. Allow me to introduce you to my Counterterrorism division chief, Martin Weston and one of our agents currently assigned to his section, Nigel Saunders. Do sit down.”

“Uhm… hello?” Harry nervously took a seat and let his confusion speak for him.

The other men nodded in greeting. Weston looked at the nervous boy and politely inquired, “Would you like a cup of tea?”

This was at least familiar and he was sure it would help calm him down some. “Please.”

As the division chief turned to the tea set on the coffee table, he asked, “Cream? Sugar?”

Harry was feeling like this was without a doubt one of the most surreal situations he had ever been in. “Uhm… yes please. Two lumps.”

The cup was handed over and Harry drank some down. He wasn’t worried about veritasserum as why would they have any, since this wasn’t the wizarding world. Besides, these three seemed far more polite and believable than Umbridge had been when she had offered him tea. Her intentions had been painfully clear and she was supposed to be a politician. These three all gave off a very different sort of energy.

Sipping the warm dark tea, Harry waited for Mr. Lander to speak. “Mr. Potter, as my agency is tasked with the protection of the realm from all manner of domestic threats, it has come to my attention during my briefing when I took over the post a little over a month ago that this wizarding terrorist Voldemort and his Deatheaters are attacking all manner of Her Majesty’s subjects and destroying millions of Pounds in property. While we do have some agents positioned to take action if an opportunity is presented, it has also been revealed that you might be the one to stop this terrorist due to a… prophesy. While I may have some questions as to the veracity of such a thing my advisors assure me that they can be quite real. Seeing as you might be the only means of protecting the citizens of Great Britain from this madman, my agency would like to aid you in your endeavors to stop this organization, if you are amenable.”

Blinking a few times as that all registered, he wished even more that he had Hermione here to provide a full and concise translation of what had just been said. He got the wanting to help him bit but there were parts that didn’t fully register thanks to his surprise. He really did lean heavily on Hermione for support. Maybe that was something he could try and fix. “Sure? I’m not sure exactly what you can do to help me but any sort of help would be nice.”

The other two chuckled at his response while Mr. Lander merely smiled understandingly. Mr. Weston took over the conversation at that point, catching Harry’s eyes with his intent gaze, “I can tell by your face that you are confused and quite sure that there can be little that we can do to help. Let me help fill you in on some things so you can be assured that this offer is not a helpless gesture. We, and by that I mean MI5 and 6 as well as the highest echelons of Her Majesty’s Government do know about the wizarding world, both the good and the bad in far more detail than most in that society would believe. The backwards society of the wizarding has been of some concern to the government for a while and when our organization was formed in 1909 along with what became MI6, we were tasked with, among other things, keeping an eye on the wizarding world as best we were able.”

Harry lowered his cup of tea to the saucer and stared. That seemed off somehow. “But how? The Statute of Secrecy should have prevented that from occurring?”

The grin he received in return to that was not kind. “That is indeed true but due to rather… supremacist notions within the wizarding world, a number of people have been all but driven out due to the distinction of not having magical parents or failing to have a more active magical power. It was indeed a good bit more difficult to find such individuals in the early days things became easier during the Cold War. Because of the threat faced by the Warsaw Pact nations a number of practices arose in house. I mean honestly, it is hard to ignore the data when some people disappear from national records at eleven only to reappear years later needing to catch up as it were and find inroads to get proper paperwork and the like. We made it as standard a procedure as possible to interview these people to determine if they were magicals or not. Let me tell you, upset and disgruntled people when given an opportunity to vent can say some amazing things. Some of those individuals even have gone so far as to join Her Majesty’s service in various capacities. Thus we have a number of displeased witches and wizards willing to help out in protecting the realm from wizarding fanatics all because of the backwards policies and notions of British Magical Society.”

Harry swallowed heavily. This was potentially bad. Even he remembered the discussions in Binns’ class about the violence of non-magical on magical. It had been a very sobering class for him. Now he was faced with the fact that his mere presence at this meeting was a blatant violation of the Statute of Secrecy and could result in some very harsh punishments. This made the problems with the Ministry pale in comparison. “And… and how does this apply to me?”

Mr. Lander gave him a friendlier smile than he had gotten earlier, “Now we come to the specifics at hand. Mr. Saunders here is one of those agents in question. We are well aware of the fact that to interfere more directly with the Ministry or the magical world in general could cause the whole house of cards to collapse. What we had in mind is to provide you with a highly agent who can assist you as a protection detail and perhaps more. He can liaise with us to ensure that open lines of communication remain accessible and that any additional assistance we may provide will be available as needed. To provide you with more agents at the outset runs the risk of attracting too much scrutiny. Would this be something you would be interested in?”

Harry sat back and thought. For all he wanted to, he didn’t want to jump into things too blindly. After all he had already gotten into a car with someone he didn’t know and was faced with three obvious potential enemies with who knew how many more. He couldn’t argue with the fact that he was far too Gryffindor for his own good most of the time. What would Hermione do at this point? Well, that was fairly easy to guess, get more information. That information itself might help him make the decision. “A few questions first. Mr. Saunders, since you have a good understanding of what I am facing, what do you bring to this that can help?”

The smile he got in response was far warmer than he had expected.

“Well, I graduated near the top of my class at Hogwarts where I was a Gryffindor. After I graduated from Hogwarts a year before you parents did, I went on to become a Hit Wizard and fought in the first war against Voldemort. Once that conflict was over, I tried to move up the ranks but Pure Bloods who weren’t as skilled kept getting promoted ahead of me. Finally I had enough. I just left, not just the Hit Wizard corps but the wizarding world in general in protest. Deciding that I still desired to help people, I enlisted in the military. During my time in, I managed to make it into the Special Air Service, where I served with some distinction for several years before leaving to join MI5. Since then I have been kept busy fairly busy.”

 There were a number of key parts to that which grabbed his attention. This was another person who knew his parents? He had served in the SAS? There was at least one more question he wanted answered before he could decide. “Have you combined your military training with wizarding combat?”

Mr. Saunders blinked in surprise as he had clearly not expected the question. “Uhm… actually I have rarely used my wand since I left the wizarding world and never in direct combat so that honestly never occurred to me. That… is an interesting idea.”

“I would be happy to accept your help Mr. Lander. Any idea how I am supposed to explain Mr. Saunders’s presence?” Harry nodded. He couldn’t think of anything else to ask right then and that actually covered his primary concerns. This might not be a bad idea.

“I am glad to hear that Harry. I am sure we can both help the other to remove the threat presented by these terrorists. As to Mr. Saunders, actually we had an idea. Our official contact with the DMLE will speak privately with Madame Bones, suggesting that Mr. Saunders here gets assigned to Mr. Potter as a protective detail. His training and record as a member of the Hit Wizards should hold him in good stead. That should cover the legalities and ensure his placement by your side,” said Mr. Lander. “Despite our intense desire to deal with these Deatheaters, we have no intention of having our involvement broadcasted through the wizarding world.”

Harry could see so many possibilities available with Mr. Saunders there to help. As someone who had actually served in the SAS, he could help Harry figure out how to use the training and knowledge as well as figure out a way to best mix combat approaches. “Great. I take it he will arrive once things have been set up with Madame Bones?”

They all nodded, letting Harry know how things would play out.

Harry stuck out his hand, a broad smile on his face. This was quite the best news he had gotten all summer long. He couldn’t wait to tell Hermione and Luna the news. “I look forward to working with you sir.”

“Same here Mr. Potter.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

Chap. 9

Harry was quietly sitting in his room and realized that he had finished all of his homework thus had nothing else to do. He couldn’t really avoid it any longer and decided to go through some of the books he had gotten on his second trip to the library. He wasn’t afraid… well, not exactly. The anger books were sure to be helpful as were the ones on grief since those were both rather pressing issues he was facing. It’s just that there was that other book that he had grabbed on a whim looming larger than the others. He kept reaching for it and pulling his hand back slowly. This process kept up for a few minutes until Hedwig made an amused bark. Frowning and blushing, he turned towards his owl and said, “Look… I don’t need any comments from you.”

Hedwig turned her head, to regard Harry almost sideways. She did seem very amused with how he was acting.

Looking out the window and noting it was dusk, Harry came to a decision. He honestly did not need to be taking any grief from a bloody owl no matter how smart she was. “That’s it, out you go. Go hunting, go visit Hermione, Luna, Ginny, someone. I don’t need this.”

Hedwig looked rather pleased with herself as she was let out of her cage and hopped to the window sill. Giving Harry one last amused bark, she took off into the night sky, vanishing into the dark.

Grumbling about annoying feathered pests, Harry lay back on the bed with the one book he was most afraid of opening. Part of him knew he needed to read this and another part was afraid that after he read it nothing would be the same. The only other time he had been this apprehensive about a book was the damn Tom Riddle diary. Deciding to finally dive in took all the Gryffindor courage he had, and that only took him to the Preface. As he read, turning the pages with trembling hands, he had a resonance with what the book was saying and that helped him move from Preface to First to Second to Third chapter, devouring what it was saying. He fit so much of what was being said and that hurt as well as making him angry. Something moved on his face and as he wiped it away he realized that he was crying. Merlin he so didn’t need this.

And yet, there was no denying what the book pulled away, he was an abused kid from an abusive home. Everything the Dursleys had done to him was abuse in one form or another. From what the book had pointed out there was physical, emotional, and psychological abuse in what they had done, said, failed to do. He swallowed thickly, his chest tight. He wanted this to not be true, to be something else, a lie, anything. Part of him had known, had always known about this and had helped him build his denial but this… every word of the book was in his face and undeniable. There was no hiding from this, not anymore.

It then occurred to him that some of what Ron had done in the years he had known him could fall under some of those categories as well. His jealous rages, anger towards him for one thing or another, being bitter over the fact that Harry had money despite the terrible means how it had come about. Coupled with what he had read it did not paint a pretty picture. Harry put the book down and pushed it away, shaking. Ron was his friend; above all he was his friend despite being an utter prat a lot of the time. Sure he had done all of those things but he had also apologized for what he had done time and time again. Sure it may have taken a while but it had happened. And in all honesty, it wasn’t like he had known the whole story of what Harry had endured. If he had he was sure Ron would have acted less the prat. Sure he understood that Hermione had sussed it out but she was good at that sort of thing. Ron… no Ron still seemed to think that Harry was blessed despite all of this crap. Even if he knew he would be of that opinion. Maybe he needed to sit down with Ron and lay all this out, all his abuse and the nonsense that Ron had dumped on him on top of that. If that conversation cost Harry Ron’s friendship at least he would be taking care of himself for a change. The book had made it clear that some abused kids didn’t and often sought out situations where they might die, just to get away from the suffering. That had really struck a chord within him and chilled him to the core.

Was he like that, unconsciously asking for death? His brows furrowed as he thought. That… might be true if he looked at things honestly. He winced at his own thought, wishing he could shy away from this train of reasoning. Did he really have so little to live for? Again his thought surprised him… maybe. He grimaced in pain. Merlin he was messed up. The realization that Voldemort was so much more powerful, skilled, lethal all sank in like lead in his stomach. The man also had a bloody army bend on destroying the wizarding world to Harry’s what? A few friends who stood by him when it counted? The Order of the Phoenix? With a heavy sigh he dropped his head with the knowledge that he wasn’t going to make it, was he? He simply didn’t have the training to survive this and more to the point he had nothing to make him want to survive.

He flopped back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. As much as he loathed even thinking this, maybe Malfoy had a point, that he was a dead man walking. As the despair and resignation started to blanket him in what was a feeling he hadn’t truly felt since he had received his Hogwarts letter, he shook his head sharply, trying to clear it of all this negativity. While he might not have lots of reasons to live he did have some. There were the Weasleys, they liked him and cared for him. In a lot of ways they were the family he had never had. There was Hogwarts which very much felt more like a home to him than Privet Drive ever had. There was Dumbledore’s Army, those who actually seemed to believe in him despite the rest of the Wizarding world calling him a liar. There was Hagrid, his first wizarding friend who was so warm and kind. There was Remus, his closest link to his parents and now Sirius, a man who had taken the time to ensure Harry was as safe as could be managed third year. There was Luna… he stalled there, his mind tried to figure that one out. What was it about her? She was… interesting? kind? cute? He swallowed a little heavier there. Yeah, there was no denying that Luna was cute and he was kind of interested in her in that way, which was a new feeling. Or was it?

Hermione. There was Hermione, the one that had always been there for him. There had been that spat over his Firebolt but she had done that over concern for him not because she was being overly bossy. Well… not only because of that reason. No, for all her bookish, snappish, kind of control freak tendencies she was his closest friend because of that. But even he wasn’t dense enough to pretend that what he was feeling for her was simply friendship. Unlike Ron, he had noticed she was a girl and had even done that third year, well before the Ball. It was difficult to ride tandem on a hippogriff without becoming aware of the differences pressed up against your back. However, he was too afraid of losing her to do anything. Then there was the vague notion he had that maybe she liked Ron. No, he would do anything, including not pursuing her, in order to stay with her. She was too important to him to risk losing her over something stupid.

This train of thought made him blink as something new registered with him, something a bit uncomfortable. He was _interested_ in two women at the same time, and not just as friends. While with Hermione it was the warm comfort of a longtime companion, Luna felt more like the excitement of a new discovery. His stomach churned, his palms sweat, and he was at a loss, his mind blank, stalled over the notion. Things had been crazy enough with his desire for Cho last year, so did he really need this?

…but wouldn’t this give him something to live for, to be worth surviving for, this whole attempt at finding love? After all, hadn’t Dumbledore said that love was his ‘power he knew not’? He was still for a long time, his breathing slow and even as his mind ran through this new thought. He shifted awkwardly, realizing that yes it might just be enough to live for, to at least find an answer to that question. And it wasn’t like he wasn’t bereft of resources. Her Majesties Government had decided that he might need support in his fight against Voldemort and his Deatheaters. How large that support would be was still up in the air but there was that. It was a hell of a lot more than he had had before and that was heartening. He was learning new things, trying to fill in the vast gaps in his education that separated him from Voldemort. No, it wasn’t all lost.

Not wanting to think about that stuff anymore, Harry turned to the books that Hermione had bought, thinking that he needed to stay away from thinking about his emotions for a bit. Maybe the auror manual would have some stuff in it that could help with this fight? He opened the book and started reading realizing that at this point even some of the non-combat stuff would help, even though he was mostly skimming those chapters. As he began reading about auror combat techniques it occurred to Harry that the Death Eaters were probably very familiar with auror techniques and had maybe even come up with some ways to counter them. After all, it wasn’t like the tactics were unknown, especially if they came in a book. That and there could even be agents within the auror corps. Those notions made him frown.

That didn’t mean that the auror material was bad stuff but rather that it would need to be more a reference than anything else. It could give him a firm starting place to build from as opposed an end in itself. That thought made him realize that while the auror stuff was heavily weighted towards non-lethal combat the Death Eaters were not limited to that in the slightest. They _liked_ killing, torture, and destruction. It… it was a lot like dealing with the IRA. Harry was rather a fan of the notion that Ireland should be one big happy country, given how things went over there, rather than split like it was. He remembered vaguely that there had been a hotel bombing that almost got the Prime Minister when he had been younger. In the attempt to kill one person they had disregarded the safety of hundreds. Because of things like this it wasn’t the police that went after the IRA but rather the Military. Maybe if he didn’t worry so much about simply catching the Death Eaters like aurors would than it would free up a wider spell selection, giving him more choices on the battlefield? It wasn’t like Harry wanted to kill, but even he knew that in war people died and soldiers had to kill for survival. That was a fundamental basic.

This was about his survival, his friend’s survival. Would it have saved Sirius’s life if they hadn’t used stupefy and other basic spells but rather hurt the Death Eaters so they couldn’t come back after them? If the numbers had been thinned due to injury, would that have saved Sirius when the Order had arrived? The Death Eaters simply  Ennervated the others whenever they had been stunned so clearly that approach was not useful unless you had numbers on your side and could take them all out at once, overwhelming them. Bone breakers and other non-lethal injury causing spells would require actual medical attention in order to bring them back into the fight. There was no need to outright kill but if you fought tigers with kid gloves there was no way you were going to win. Hadn’t he heard something about in war it wasn’t about dying for your country but making the other person die for theirs?

Dumbledore was going to _love_ that, with his constant talk of forgiveness and second, third, fifth, etc… chances. That basically kept anything from happening to stop the enemy but rather only inconvenienced them. No, if someone was going to come after him and those he cared about he would rather stop them completely than let them lament their evil ways to get out of punishment. The Death Eaters were betting that Voldemort would win this war and thus they would become the new ruling elite, coddling them because of this ideology seemed the height of folly. No… if they wanted that to happen then they were going to pay for it in as costly a manner as could be managed. Harry was practically growling at this point, wanting to take out his frustration physically on the likes of Malfoy, Belletrix, and others. Harry realized that hadn’t taken things seriously before, almost believing that this was some sort of kid’s book where he wouldn’t have to get his hands dirty to survive and maybe even win. No, this was war, ugly and destructive. Voldemort was like Grindelwald… like Hitler and wanted nothing more than to put the muggleborn in camps and probably enact the same repulsive final solution. The Death Eaters wanted nothing less than free reign to go after muggles and do whatever they wanted to them. There was only one real outcome to that course of action and it was the utter extermination of the wizarding world.

With guns, canons, smart bombs, and the like there was no way that the wizarding world would survive. Since he knew about the fact that the non-magical government _knew_ a whole lot about the wizarding world and even had some disgruntled muggleborn working for them, it would be a slaughter, and not against the muggles. Harry remembered the winter before he had gotten his letter, the Gulf War. The whole thing had been practically televised from start to finish and what it did show was that the west had unspeakable powers of destruction at their disposal and that wasn’t even moving towards nukes. They had missiles that could fire from hundreds of miles away that could target a tiny window. No… there was no contest in the end if it came to it. The muggles would wipe them from the earth.

With a snort, Harry shook his head, muttering, “Yeah… that’s no pressure Harry. Kill Voldemort and stop the Deatheaters or else the entire wizarding world dies in fire. Easy. Fuck.”

Putting his pillow over his face, he groaned loudly, muffling the noise since the last thing he wanted was to deal with a grumpy Vernon. Harry had to get better, had to find a way to win this war, or it was all over. That meant that the kid gloves absolutely had to be off and he had to get it through Dumbledore’s head that the stakes were high enough to forget these extra chances he was so fond of. He groaned again. Yeah, sure… that was going to happen, why not do something easy while he was at it?

No, he absolutely needed Hermione. She was the most brilliant he knew and if anyone could figure this out it would be her. But then again, this was such an insane and over the top situation that maybe he needed Luna as well, to use her out of the box thinking. Watching her duel, she would use very unconventional tactics to win, making spells that didn’t seem to make sense. Ron wouldn’t be bad to have in his corner either… since there was no question that he had a rather tactical and strategic way of looking at things thanks to his chess knowledge, but it was rather conventional. That was the wizarding world in a nutshell, conventional and old fashioned to a fault. He glanced over at his pile of books, specifically the ones on the SAS. Well, if conventional got them into this mess than perhaps the unconventional would get them out.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Chap. 10

Fuming a little, Harry made his way to the Grangers grumbling about what a terrible day he had been having. First he woke up in a lousy mood and then had dealt with an irate Uncle Vernon who didn’t want to let Harry leave, claiming his chores weren’t done. That was nonsense as he had done everything that had been asked. His Uncle merely wanted to make him miserable. Then, when he had finally made it out of the house, some Order member tried to stop him, claiming that he needed to stay there for his own good. That hadn’t gone well either. He had so wanted to pop that old coot right in the nose and it had taken effort not to. Now he was pissed and hoping that the walk would help him calm down since the bus ride certainly hadn’t.

He had told Tonks and made his position clear, quiet slear. Surely the fact that he refused to be penned would have passed on? But then again, maybe whoever it was that stopped him hadn’t been informed. In all honesty, that wouldn’t be a complete surprise. If it had been told to Dumbledore then who knew if he would share important information vital to someone’s life! Then again, he didn’t know if something else had happened to warrant tighter security or what. If it had then they bloody well should have told him and not let him stumble around in the dark. He thought he had made his stance on being kept in the dark clear, but apparently not.

Up ahead he spotted the Grangers house. He tried to calm his breathing like the books said to do, to sort of ground himself in the here and now so that his emotions were not so all encompassing but it wasn’t working as well as he wanted it to. It helped him reign them in some but didn’t completely mute them, kind of a background irritation. Harry had to admit that this was a remarkably simple technique that he wished someone had taught him earlier. It would have helped him several times in dealing with people, most notably the ferret. Maybe the wizarding world didn’t know about this sort of thing, after all, why deal with the source of mental and emotional issues when you could just cast a cheering charm on them or hand them some sort of potion that masks what’s going on? Perhaps Luna would know if there was anything like true mental health care in the wizarding world. It might not be a bad thing to discover.

With another deep breath and a slow exhale, feeling his tension drain away some more, Harry knocked on the door.

Hermione opened it with a smile with Luna standing behind her wearing her Quibbler glasses. Both girls smiled even wider at seeing him and called out, “Harry!”

He sighed, feeling some of his anger bleed out even more at the sight of these two. This was exactly what he needed, friends who actually cared for him as him. “Hi Hermione and Luna.”

With a growing frown Hermione reached out and pulled him inside. Harry yelped briefly in surprise. Once the door was closed she turned on his and asked, “What’s wrong Harry?”

“Yes Harry… the number of wrackspurts you have is alarming.” Luna said with some shock.

Both Hermione and Harry turned to look at her, both trying to figure out what that had to do with anything. The blonde merely shrugged and said, “It’s true. You can look for yourself. Well, probably not you Harry unless you had a spell to pull your eyes from your head and look at yourself through the glasses but that sounds uncomfortable at best and a surefire way to make yourself dizzy at worst.”

The blond took off her glasses and held them out. Nervously, Hermione took them with great hesitation, almost as one might take hold of a snake or something slimy that had the potential of biting. With a quick look at Harry for moral support, Hermione put them on and looked over at her best friend. She started in surprise, pulling the glasses down to look at him and then putting them back on, repeating this a few times. Turning to Luna, she seemed to stare at her briefly and then once again back to Harry, who shifted awkwardly under the intensity of her gaze, unsure what was up. “What?”

With a shaky voice, Hermione said, “I… I see these, sort of… specks I guess… moving around your head in no discernable pattern. When I look over at Luna there are a lot fewer, moving in an entirely different manner, which clearly shows that it’s not just something about the glasses. I… think they might be real.”

Luna smiled beatifically, “Those would be the wrackspurts Hermione. Everyone has them, well more like people able to think. Crabbe and Goyle have merely a handful each. Ron has a terrible infestation and he won’t make use of my siphon to clear his head. Harry had gotten better, which was nice to see, but this is a larger amount of them than normal. Did something happen Harry?”

The other two turned to Luna, Hermione remembering to take off the glasses when she was looking at the girl, making it easier to focus intently. “You mean they’re real?”

Luna’s brows furrowed slightly, “Well, of course they’re real Hermione. Why would I lie about something like that? A wrackspurt infestation can ruin an academic career if you aren’t careful.”

“I… but I… sorry Luna. I thought these were imaginary.”

“I know that some of the creatures I talk about are mere myth but others are merely extremely tiny and easily overlooked creatures. It’s one of the reasons I love magical zoology. Not a lot of people know more than the basic creatures that everyone can see. Hagrid might, but then again, he loves all sorts of creatures.”

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you Luna. Please forgive me?” Hermione was really contrite and red faced, probably thanks to discovering that she didn’t know something.

Harry groaned and shook his head. This day kept getting weirder. “Let’s face it. All three of us get a bad rap because we’re different and don’t quite look at things in the same way as others. I guess that makes it easier for people to ignore us as freaks.”

With a heavy sigh, Hermione nodded, “That’s true. So I guess we should stick together from now on, the three weirdoes?”

Eyes filled with happiness, Luna just beamed at the other two as she nodded. Harry smiled at them both as he said, “So far the day has been surreal. Now that we know that wrackspurts are real and the three of us are all freaks. What should we do now that we know that?”

“First, you need to let us know what’s wrong. You look a bit better now but you had your angry Harry face on.”

“You can read what I’m feeling by the looks on my face?”

Rolling her eyes, decrying the question as obvious, Hermione asked again, “So what happened.”

Well aware that there was no getting away from a determined Hermione, Harry proceeded to explain, “I woke up grumpy and then had to deal with Uncle Vernon who wanted to keep me from having fun. Then one of the order members tried to stop me without giving me a reason. I grabbed their wand and threw it off before walking away. I was only mostly calmed down when I got here. You two helped.”

“Sorry Harry.”

“Don’t be Hermione. You both help by being who you are.”

His best friend looked thoughtful at that while Luna looked pleased as punch. “Alright… but you are better now?”

“Much. I could do with a drink?”

Playing hostess, Hermione grabbed drinks for the three of them and they then walked into the living room. All eyes on her as she was the most skilled planner in the group, she just said, “Well, we can look over some of the books again, to see if any other ideas pop out. I’ve come up with a tentative training schedule for the DA. We need to look that over to see if we need to make any changes to it, given new spell options and such.”

Now calmer than he was earlier, Harry said, “Can we sit down? I have something to tell you two and… well, sitting down might be helpful.”

“Harry… oh Merlin… what did you get into now?” Hermione’s very familiar glare pinned Harry to his spot.

“I did nothing this time, honest, though it did happen to me.”

Luna took Hermione’s hand and pulled her towards the couch. Hermione resisted some at the beginning and then gave in, following along behind the blonde, still focused on Harry. After they had all gotten seated, Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was harder than he had thought it would be. A bit sheepish, Harry explained the visit he had gotten from Her Majesty’s Government.

Hermione flumped backwards, stunned. The enormity of what she had just heard clearly was too much for her to deal with. Harry had to admit that this look, which was familiar to him from classwork overwhelming him and Ron, was something to be savored. Luna looked thoughtful and asked, “So how can this help us?”

Harry looked a touch surprised at the way she phrased that, “Us?”

She gave him a rather pitying look, as if he had missed an important point. It was such an annoyed Hermione move that he had to glance over to double check. Was it rather a girl thing instead? “Harry Potter, I know that you like to throw yourself into dangerous situations all higgledy-piggledy without any worry but surely, if nothing else got through to you from earlier this June, it’s that you have people who will go into fire and danger to help you. Hermione Granger has always gone with you when she could, do you really expect things to be any different for others who care for you as well?”

Looking guilty, Harry bowed his head, getting chastised by Luna hurt more than when Hermione did it. Of course the fact that Luna used smaller words and less volume may have been a factor as well. “I just want you all to be safe.”

Hermione sat forward, having recollected her thoughts. “Harry, I know you want us all safe but I know for me that I want you to be safe as well. Ron would be torn up if you got hurt. Ginny as well. If we all feel this way then wouldn’t it make more sense to go together to watch each other’s backs?”

Thinking about it, Harry couldn’t deny the logic even though so much in him wanted to push people away so only he would get harmed. But that was a kind of thinking the book had talked about, something driven into him from the Dursley’s. And another part of that was his survivor’s guilt trying to drive him to join Sirius. Those realizations still both shook Harry, but he had gotten used to weird thoughts this summer. With a reluctant nod, Harry said, “It makes sense and I am really honored that you two are willing to do that. I know that without you Hermione, I would have died long ago. Hell, you helped me even when you were petrified which has always impressed me. So, thank you.”

Both girls beamed. “Now what are we going to do?”

Luna smiled and said, “Can the muggles really do this?”

Hermione shook her head sadly. “Yes they can. That and more actually. For all the destructive power that even Voldemort wields, it pales in comparison to what muggles can bring to bear. They have weapons powerful enough that they could wipe London off the face of the earth in one shot. They can shoot a target from over a mile away with a rifle and you would be dead before the sound reached you. They can launch missiles or drop bombs from so far away that the wizarding world would never even know they’re coming until things explode. Regardless of what wizards and witches think there is no contest between the two.”

“I meant helping Harry and us.”

“Oh… well, if they have Squibs and Muggleborns amongst their numbers, like Harry has implied, then yes, yes they could. That would give them agents that could see past muggle wards and be unaffected by the common protective spells used to keep communities unseen. They could also help in the exact ways that Harry is looking for.”

Harry nodded, this had definitely occurred to him. “The guy they want to have assigned to me as a bodyguard is a former Hitwizard, a former member of the SAS, and an operative for MI-5, so I am sure he has all sorts of skills that we could benefit from.”

“Does this mean we should stop looking in the books?” Hermione seemed almost aghast to ask that.

Luna shook her head. Harry gathered that she had a clue where Hermione was going. “If this person is going to train us, wouldn’t it be good to have an outline of what we want to learn. That way he won’t have to come up with something from scratch. We could have a list of what we want to learn and they could see what we want.”

Harry smiled in some surprise at that idea and nodded. “That makes sense. Besides, some of the things I am looking for don’t have to do with fighting Voldemort.”

“Really?” Hermione was a touch surprised at this new addition to the plan.

“Yes. I mean, in addition to learning how to survive and fight better I am trying to get past my grief, my past, and hoping to be able to find meaning for my life. I am tired of my life being lived instead of living it.” He winced some in realization that this could be a factor of the thrice bedamned prophecy. Neither could live indeed. No, he had to find a way around that.

Hermione got up from the couch and hugged Harry. She held on longer than usual and Harry really liked that, sighing and relaxing fully into the hug. This was something he could get used to. He felt another pair of arms come around him, holding him in a similar manner. As he was about to look up questioningly, Luna’s voice was soft when she said, “I felt left out so I just joined in.”

The other two started chuckling. They let loose and moved back slightly, forming a really loose triangle. His face was a little warm because that hug was a bit different than other hugs he had gotten, and that didn’t include Luna joining in for good measure. Hermione looked him in the eyes calmly and said, “Well, now that we know what to look for I can help you find that.”

“Me too,” chimed in Luna. “I am very good at finding lost things.”

Harry felt a knot loosen inside, something that had been tight for so long that he had thought that was just how life went. Thinking vaguely of the possibilities, he gave the girls a hopeful smile. “Thank you, both of you.”

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a frantic knock at the back door.

The three of them headed that way, wands in hand with a twist of their wrists. Clearly the girls had been practicing with their wand holsters. Luna and Harry positioned themselves off to the side in order to provide Hermione cover as she answered. A frantic Tonks was standing there, eyes darting about behind Hermione. “Hermione, is Harry here?”

Harry moved into line of sight, wand only slightly lowered. Tonks relaxed once she saw him, breathing a sigh of relief before she said, “Good, you’re here. Remus and I were worried when we went by Privet Drive and you weren’t there. Diggle wasn’t any help as he was upset and flustered with you for some reason.”

With a frown, Harry asked, “Why? Why were you worried where I was?”

Looking far more serious than the three had ever seen her, in a flat voice Tonks said, “Madame Bones was attacked at her house.”

Hermione gasped, “Susan?”

“She’s okay. So is Madame Bones but it was a close thing. She got hit a few times on her way out but I don’t know if it was your warning or her own paranoia but when the attack started she bolted instead of staying. That saved her and Susan’s life.”

A few things were niggling at the back of his brain so Harry asked, “If there were anti-appiration and portkey wards up then how did she manage that?”

With a sigh, Tonks said, “Apparently one of the previous heads of the Bones family was a real badger. There was an escape tunnel in the house, coming out of the study, and once they got past the wards they escaped.”

Harry and Hermione sighed in relief. Luna nodded. “A logical plan. I’m surprised that Voldemort didn’t think of that.”

That was a very valid point that did bear thinking on but it wasn’t the most pertinent issue. “And this meant you needed to see me why?”

“Once they got word of the attack, the Order scrambled to check on everyone and especially you. They thought that if Voldemort made an attack like that then they might have gone after you as well in the confusion,” explained Tonks.

Harry nodded. That made sense. Thinking back to his morning and his irritation, he asked, “When did this attack happen?”

“It happened early this morning, before people were really up and moving. About four or five this morning.”

Groaning Harry said, “Well, that might explain why I have been so angry since this morning. Thankfully I didn’t get to see that. I have enough issue with Voldemort oversharing as it is.”

Hermione and Luna moved as one and hugged Harry again. Against his back Luna advised, “Careful Harry… don’t let the warckspurts come back after we helped you lose them.”

Tonks, who had been surprised by Harry’s connection to Voldemort, could only stare at them when they started laughing. “Clearly I am missing something.”

“You have no idea.”


	11. Chapter 11

Chap. 11

There were aspects of this summer that Harry was rather enjoying, such as talking to Hermione at least daily and going over to her house every couple of days. Being able to hang out with friends over the summer was something that was always denied him and to be able to do this gave him a feeling of happiness that he probably didn’t deserve. He was a little discouraged about the fact that it was impractical to take a bus to Ottery St. Catchpole or to talk to Ron with the ease he could Hermione due to the muggle/magical communication barrier but he was certain that he would see them at some point that summer, given that’s how things had gone since the end of his first year. What surprised him the most was that after the revelation about wrackspurts, Luna and Hermione became even closer friends with the blonde over at her house more often than not. Knowing a bit of both their histories, Harry could see that it was making both of them happier. There was no way he was going to get between them.

So far the three of them had worked out together, talked a great deal, and read from the growing library of books bought to replace the ones checked out from the Little Whinging Library. And the collection of books wasn’t just military, there were also books on exercise, self-help, and any other bit they thought might actually help them. There had even been a pillaging of the Granger’s home collection, which had been an amusing tiff to overhear. And of all things, Hermione actually went out and bought a new, top of the line, multi compartment trunk that had more storage space in it for the collection. She had even gone so far as to design a personal shield that was on it. There really was no question whose trunk it was when you saw the book with the words _Gnothi Seauton_ across the middle,a wand diagonally across it along with an otter on top swimming in a figure eight thanks to some animation spell. He really liked it.

Today however, instead of having fun with his friends Harry was at Privet Drive, working on one of his chores, the ever so exciting polishing of silver. It wasn’t like his Aunt had a lot of silver, but she demanded that it be properly maintained and polished, which was not a task she wanted to sully herself with. Thanks to that Harry knew far more about cutlery than he had ever wanted to, not like it was really needed at school. That morning he had been presented with a list of twenty-seven items, all of which would take a while. There had been a threat of no food if they weren’t completed by that evening. So, it was a bit worse of a day compared to the usual. Uncle Vernon was being loud and obnoxious, as per usual, with Big D only adding to the lowing that he phased out, a skill that he had developed early. He was working on the ladle when there was a knock at the door. This was a break in the way things usually went and he lifted his head questioningly.

“Diddykins, can you answer the door?” asked his Aunt from behind her magazine.

“Yes mum.” Grumbling, Dudley walked to the door and opened it. “What?”

“Ah… hello young Mister Dursley, are your parents in?”

The voice was familiar, very familiar, making Harry put down his polishing rag. What would Professor Dumbledore be doing here?

“Dad! There’s a freak here to see you!” yelled Dudley.

Vernon grew red faced before he bellowed out, “Shut the door Dudley, we don’t want any freaks in our house. We’re already beyond quota.”

The door closed softly, which surprised Harry. He had to admit that he was less surprised to see Dudley backing into the room, hands firmly clutching his rump, eyes wide, preceding Professor Dumbledore like a parade balloon. Vernon struggled out of his chair, hands fisted tight, clearly irritated past normal. “Now see here!”

Talking as if he weren’t aware of what the Mr. Dursley was saying, Professor Dumbledore smiled his all-knowing grandfather smile and said, “Thank you for having me. Your hospitality is always wonderful. It is a long time since my last visit… I must say Petunia, your agapanthus are flourishing.”

This was new information that confused Harry a little; Professor Dumbledore had been here before? Why hadn’t he said anything? Why had he let this treatment of him go on? His Aunt spoke up in a shaky voice as she stood, trembling slightly, “Please leave, we don’t want or need you here. We are doing just fine without you.”

With a dismissive wave, Dumbledore said, “I am merely here to inform you that I am collecting Mr. Potter here and to request that you take him in one last time next summer.”

“No! No! If there is a choice then we want nothing to do with him. We will have none of your mumbo-jumbo shenanigans in my house!” Vernon’s words hurt a little though it wasn’t exactly unexpected. In so many ways this was not a home but a prison. This last just confirmed that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Dumbledore turned a disapproving look towards Petunia. This was something Harry had seen before. It must be a stock look. “Remember my last.”

Paling some, Petunia winced, wringing her handkerchief as she swallowed heavily and said, “He can stay, but no longer than his birthday.”

The look switched to pure sunshine, “Thank you Mrs. Dursley. I shall endeavor to have young Harry here out of your house no later than his birthday.”

Harry looked back and forth, trying to make sense of what had just happened. There was so much coded language that there was no doubt that there was something else being said. Remember his last? Was Dumbledore the source of that odd message before? It made sense but it just showed how much Dumbledore was controlling his life. While the notion of leaving here appealed to him, the idea of having to face this… gaol again was less than appealing. Just as he was about to say something, Professor Dumbledore faced him with his knowing smile, saying, “Once you are packed Harry we can be off.”

Putting down the polishing cloth until next year, Harry stood and headed upstairs. He was still irritated with Professor Dumbledore and this new information did nothing to help that. In some ways it made things worse. Once he reached his room it didn’t take long to throw the few things that had been outside his trunk back in. He set Hedwig free, letting her know to look for him with the Weasleys first. Picking up his trunk, a task that had been made far easier due to his exercise, he headed downstairs, a sense of elation coming over him at the prospect of leaving. Once there, his Headmaster shrunk Hedwig’s cage and trunk before handing them back over. “There you go… that should make things easier.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Did you want to say goodbye?” asked Dumbledore.

Schooling his features so that his surprise would not register, Harry turned to face his relatives, who had different stages of shock and outrage on their faces. This was going to be so very awkward. “Take care and I will see you next summer.”

Harry walked out, not even bothering to look back. He pulled on his shield hat, knowing that it would help hide his distinctive hair. This whole thing was stupid and he sighed in frustration. It wasn’t like he wanted to come back here ever again but like Dumbledore would give him that option. Have to keep his prophecy boy in his cage. Sirius could have given him an out, but since he had still been a wanted felon that hadn’t been practical. What had him confused is how Dumbledore, the bloody head of the Wizangamot had done nothing to help Sirius out, at least as best as he could tell. No one had ever questioned him about the events, events that should have guaranteed his freedom. And now Harry was without him, having lost his last real connection to his parents. With his godfather gone and his godmother tortured into insanity there really were no connections left. Staying at the Weasley’s would be nice but again like that would really come to pass. There is no way that he would ever be able to spend time apart from the Dursleys. There had to be a reason and he had no clue what it was. Professor Dumbledore walked out of the house with that pleased smile on his face.

“Ah Harry, before we go I have a quick question. Can the Order still use your Godfather’s old house?”

Frowning, Harry realized that the wards of the house had to have transferred to him. That was good. The problem was that it allowed people like Snape free access to everything and giving him an opportunity to destroy more of his godfather’s legacy. “Let me think about that first sir. I probably will be okay with that but I’m not sure. I’m still dealing with what happened.”

“Very well Harry, now are you ready to go?” The Headmaster extended his arm. He seemed perfectly content with that answer.

With a nod, Harry reached out and rested his hand on Dumbledore’s arm. There was that terrible squeezing sensation that came with apparation and suddenly they were on an empty street somewhere else. Feeling something odd under his hand, Harry took a closer look at Dumbledore’s arm and noticed that the hand looked withered. There was no way that was normal. “What happened Professor?”

Trying to cover his hand subtly, Dumbledore said, “Nothing for you to worry about my boy. I was just a bit careless and its being treated. Now as to why we’re here. I am trying to elicit the services of one Horace Slughorn. The man is a brilliant Potions instructor and I would like to hire him for the coming year. He will be resistant but he does have a peculiar weakness we can exploit.”

Harry looked at him oddly, trying to figure out what in the name of all hells he had to do with hiring of a teacher. “Which is…?”

“Horace is a… collector one might say. Instead of trinkets or dare I say even socks, he likes to collect and cultivate friendships with people who have the greatest possibility to find themselves in positions of prominence later on in life. The man is the best judge of talent and future success I have ever met.”

“Wait… you want me to talk to him because as the Boy Who Lived I would be one such friendship he would want?” Harry was not pleased by this development. It sounded far too Slytherin for his comfort. This was a level of manipulation that really made him uncomfortable.

“Exactly. I knew you would understand. Come, he is staying down this way.”

The walked through the streets slowly, with the Headmaster scanning the buildings. Thankfully there was little traffic but even then there were few people who noticed them. Harry gathered that Professor Dumbledore had cast some sort of muggle repelling ward or something. Finally finding the house, Dumbledore tutted and then headed inside. When they walked in they both drew their wands as it looked like there had been a fight in there, with furniture overturned and everything. Harry scanned the room, wary of any sort of assault. Walking into the living room, Professor Dumbledore walked up to one of the few remaining upright pieces of furniture and said, “Ah Horace, wonderful camouflage. The rather plush cushions are an excellent touch.”

The chair stood up and became this older, balding gentleman who seemed rather nervous. His voice was a bit shaky as he spoke, “Albus, what brings you here? I had been afraid that you were a Deatheater.”

“You hadn’t responded to my correspondence regarding teaching this year. I simply wanted to check in.”

Slughorn looked at Dumbledore as if he had lost is mind. “You know I don’t want to do it and you know the reasons why! I haven’t had a decent night’s rest all summer thanks to being followed.”

“I thought that perhaps you might have changed your mind. That has been known to happen.” The Headmaster shrugged noncommittally.

“I have no interest is setting myself against the Dark Lord. You know that.”

Dumbledore gave him this pitying look, looking more like a disappointed grandfather than ever before. Harry thought he had to have been an excellent actor when he had been younger. “If that is your choice then I will have to accept it. If you will excuse me, I believe I will avail myself of the facilities before we leave. Horace.”

Harry had been watching this like some sort of odd tennis match. That Dumbledore was trying to manipulate this Slughorn fellow seemed rather obvious. What was worse was that it was clear that the man knew that was what was happening. It galled Harry to know that he was a tool of that manipulation since Dumbledore apparently wanted him to convince this person to return to Hogwarts. Slughorn looked away from where he had been glaring at the departing Headmaster and turned to face Harry, apparently noticing him for the first time. Slughorn started, looked closer and said, “Dear me… has anyone told you that you look a bit like Lily Evans?”

Hearing a different way of saying that was unique, Harry looked rather intrigued, “You knew my mother?”

“Mother? Good Lord, you must be Harry. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. You look well my boy. I haven’t seen you in years, ever since Filius and I were arguing over who got to help her obtain her Mastery. You couldn’t have been more than eight months old at that time. My how time flies.”

This was news to him. His mother had gotten the chance to obtain two masteries? Why hadn’t anyone mentioned that? “Yes it does sir.”

“You do have your father’s hair which is more the pity.” Slughorn pointed out.

Harry grinned. This was not something he had ever heard and he drank up all the new facts about his parents, especially his mother. People tended to focus on his father more and that left a glut of information that Harry desired. This Slughorn was proving to be rather interesting and he had to admit that if he were at the school they could talk more. “It is a bit untameable.”

Slughorn looked towards where Dumbledore had vanished and then back at Harry with a rather keen and penetrating look. There was a great deal of intelligence in that look. With a sigh of resignation, the man asked, “I suppose Dumbledore asked you to tempt me into working at the school?”

With a shrug, Harry replied, “Honestly sir, I have no real idea what the Headmaster wanted me to do. He wasn’t exactly clear with his directions. I kind of feel more like bait than anything else.”

With a shake of his head, Slughorn said, “I… am a man of connections. This was something your parents knew well and back in the day I relished helping talented individuals finding the best paths for themselves. Being a sort of mentor you see which allowed me an in with these people. Albus knows of my weakness for helping others reach what goals they may desire because… well, frankly I don’t do it out of any altruistic desire I can tell you that. People tend to look… kindly on such mentors and provide them with assistance when they can. I try not to exploit that aid but I do use it to make my life easier. To link myself with men and women of skill and talent is a selfish act even if they get a great deal out of it. Albus using you as bait is why I am telling you this. He is using you to tempt me back to Hogwarts due to my knowledge of your heritage and your potential. You would be a mighty prize indeed to someone like me. I have no issue with you knowing this, best to be up front and all that. Damn the man!”

This response was a bit unexpected and Harry felt a bit of a connection to the man, as he had bared a part of himself to Harry in a way few adults ever had. This was a disturbing act by the Headmaster, as it was clear they were both being manipulated by this one act. That awareness made him uncomfortable. “Is this your home sir?”

That Slughorn wasn’t expecting this question after all that he had said was obvious. “What? No, I am staying here secretly, to throw off anyone who might be following me. The family is away on holiday and I figured that it was unlikely that I would be searched for in a muggle area.”

“Wouldn’t Hogwarts provide a bit more security?”

Nodding despite himself, Slughorn said, “That is true young Harry but then I’ll have played into his hand you see. I loathe the notion of being beholden to anyone.”

“However, if you make the choice to do this of your own free will, knowing the Headmaster is trying to get you to do this, won’t you be taking charge of things instead of letting the Headmaster have all the control?” Hanging out with Hermione and Luna was really having a positive effect on him. They really had helped him get far more used to thinking on his feet in order to keep up with them. He needed to do more of that to get better in practice.

Looking thoughtful, the chubby man nodded his head slightly, “Very wise Harry… I do believe that sounds like a workable solution. Thank you.”

“No problem sir.”

Harry was listening to a story about his parents in potion class before they had started dating and how competitive they were with each other when Dumbledore walked in. “Do you mind if I take this magazine Horace? It has the most lovely knitting patterns.”

Slughorn waved a hand magnanimously, “That’s fine Albus. I am sure the family won’t miss one magazine. I assume that the date for teachers to report to the school is the same?”

With a broad smile the Headmaster nodded. “Indeed it is. Well, come along Harry. We need to get you to the Weasleys.”

Harry noted that Slughorn almost laughed when he rolled his eyes so only the other man could see them. Perhaps this would be a teacher he could work with. He already knew there was a bit of a Voldemort connection there, due to his history, so that couldn’t be sprung on him when he least expected. This wouldn’t suck. Surely the man was a more competent teacher than Snape.

Once outside, Harry took Dumbledore’s arm and with a pop they left.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Chap 12

After a terrible squeezing, the two of them appeared at the Burrow and Harry smiled a little when he saw the familiar ramshackle building. Here he was at a house filled with people who didn’t abuse him as a rule; they actually seemed to care about them. Perhaps he could actually manage to relax some while he was here. Sure his exercise regime would continue as best he could but there was no need for him to mow lawns or such nonsense. Chores to be sure but no days defined by the tasks given to him. That would be a lovely change. Besides there was a certain pleasure in de-gnoming a garden that weeding never managed.

It was a short walk to take them to the front of the house where Dumbledore knocked on the door. After a short wait Mr. Weasley opened the door slowly. His look of suspicion turned to one of pleasure rather quickly, “Harry! Professor Dumbledore. This is a surprise. Please come in, come in. We were just about to sit down for supper.”

Dumbledore was at his affable grandfatherly best, “I’m afraid I can’t stay Arthur. I am merely here to drop off Harry before I head back to the school, so many things to do before the start of term. You can watch him until then, yes?”

By that point Mrs. Weasley had reached the door, wiping her hands dry on her apron, a big smile on her face. “You know he is always welcome to stay here anytime Headmaster. We are happy to have him.”

In short order his luggage was resized and sent upstairs with a wand flick and he was bustled into a seat by Mrs. Weasley. Ron chuckled at that, apparently enjoying the dazed look on his face as his mother rode herd on him. Ginny merely rolled her eyes in a manner Harry was familiar with, having done that earlier that evening when dealing with Dumbledore. What did catch him by surprise was that Bill was there as well as Fleur Delacour, the French Triwizard champion. He tried not to stare in disbelief and he may have done a more or less passable job. At least he didn’t blush when the beautiful part Veela smiled at him.

Conversation was put on hold as people started their meal. The food was excellent, as always, and Harry did help himself to seconds. Maybe he would finally get the amount of food his body had been begging for as he exercised. His portions at the Dursleys were not the largest, even though he had been getting more food than usual for that house, something he had managed by the use of casual comments regarding being watched over by _them_.

Once done, Harry walked up to Fleur, who was busy helping Mrs. Weasley clean up from the meal. “Fleur! I have to say it is a surprise to see you here.”

Ignoring the dismissive sniff from Molly, Fleur said, “Bonjour ‘arry, ‘ow ‘ave you been?”

“Not too bad.” He shrugged. “Things have been a bit shaky lately but I am trying to get better.”

“Ah… oui, your Godfazher. I am sorry to ‘ear about ‘is loss.” Fleur frowned in memory. “I ‘ave ‘eard many nice zhings about ‘im.”

Harry smiled faintly, his memory bringing back the last moments of Sirius’s life. He had been getting a bit better with the loss but this reminder roiled his stomach and made his heart ache. He missed Sirius dearly. The man had been crazy, immature, had a tendency to forget that he wasn’t his father and Harry had never doubted his love. Sirius had done his best by him, despite being reckless at the exact wrong time and passing away. The book he had found on dealing with grief was helping but there was only so much a book could do, not that he would ever tell Hermione that. That was a conversation he did not relish having. “Thank you.”

“If you need anyzhing just ask. I am ‘appy to ‘elp.”

Thanks to the hard work of Hermione and Luna, Harry felt okay when he hugged Fleur in thanks and then let go, blushing at the act. They had managed to get it into his head that such demonstrations were okay and even expected to a degree by those who cared about him. Fleur apparently found the whole thing cute or something as she smiled at him eliciting a blush. Molly jumped in at that point, though he wasn’t sure why she would do such a thing, “Harry, can you check to see if Ron has gotten his homework done?”

Surprised by the question Harry turned to face his friend who had come down for a post dinner snack, asked, “Hermione isn’t here?”

Ron shrugged and looked irritated, “No mate. I think she’s gone mental because she wanted to go stay with Luna rather than stay here.”

“That just shows that she has some degree of reason, staying away from you.” tossed in Ginny with a scoff.

Before things could grow heated, Harry latched onto to the pertinent information and asked, “So, wait… she came by earlier today?”

Ron looked at him confused, as if he might have hit his head on something. “Didn’t Dumbledore tell you? He said he was going to fetch you right after he dropped her off.”

Harry walked upstairs with them as he groaned, “Great… another thing he doesn’t tell me. You would think he would have figured out by this point that is not a good choice. At least this time the whole thing is fairly harmless.”

Ron was clearly not following any of that. “What?”

Harry sighed. He had gotten so used to hanging out with Luna and Hermione over the summer where he could actually leave off bits of things and know that they would follow. With a wave he said, “Never mind Ron, not important right now. So Hermione left for Luna’s a little while after she got here?”

“I took her over there,” said Ginny. “She said something about wanting to catch up with her. Apparently they became better friends over the summer.”

“Thanks Gin.” He smiled thankfully at her. “I guess I will head over to see her tomorrow as I have somethings to talk to her about. I take it I’m in your room Ron.”

“Of course mate, who else’s room would you be in?” The redhead looked rather chuffed at that point.

Harry nodded as he headed the rest of the way upstairs. Things really were a set way here at the Burrow and he was rather surprised that he had never noticed that before. It was surprising how a lot of the same arguments and issues seemed to crop up here between the family members, time and again. He didn’t know if it was simply a family thing or if it was more specifically a Weasley thing and that did make him a bit melancholy. It was great that he got to spend time with their family but he missed having his own. The loss of Sirius hit him rather hard again.

He was also a bit worried about the plan to have his MI5 bodyguard arrive and start helping train him. The plan had seemed so simple and easy to manage especially since Madame Bones was becoming Minister thanks to Fudge’s stupidity and her survival; he had hoped that the whole thing wouldn’t become such a confusing issue. The Director of MI5 had thought it wouldn’t be such a production but apparently politics were never really that straightforward. Being able to get some of the training now, before heading off to school, would be a tremendous boon if it could be managed. Otherwise there was the risk that he would be observed by the very people he wanted to spring these tactics on.

There was another issue as well that was bugging him. Thanks to the rush Dumbledore had been in, he hadn’t been given the opportunity to return some of the books he had checked out of the Library. Given that there would be problems with late returns, he wasn’t sure how to manage it but he was hoping that Hermione might be able to figure out a way to get them back to Little Whinging. He would have done it himself but he was quite sure that he would be unable to leave, especially for a trip to another part of the country. Hedwig should be able to carry them since they weren’t that heavy but there was no way he was going to send her with those books because he was causing enough trouble as is. How would the librarians explain books checked out by Harry Potter being delivered by owl? There was no way that would end well.

What sort of training would he be able to learn while he was here, some basics of combat, sneaking around, that hard to pin down notion of field craft? They were good questions and he really wished Mr. Saunders would get here to be able to answer them. Besides, he had to admit that the notion of a wizarding trained MI5 agent really did get to him. That just seemed so cool and beyond James Bond. And why hadn’t the guy been using his wand since he had left? That question didn’t make any sort of sense to him. Wouldn’t magic give him a tremendous advantage in all those secret agenty things? He could understand not using it while he had been in the army as that could create potential issues but as an MI5 agent you would think that it would simply be an amazingly helpful tool. He knew that there seemed to be a way to track underage magic so was there perhaps a way to track magic use in general, so if magic showed up in odd areas there would be a response? If so then that might explain that oddness but since he was a graduate of Hogwarts that shouldn’t be an issue, unless Saunders was around muggles most of the time and it would break the statute of secrecy. Merlin that one issue was too convoluted to get any real traction on.

He could understand being away from magic for a little while if you were pissed at the magical world but to practically give it up entirely… that was something he couldn’t grasp. He honestly hated not being able to do spells over the summer holiday as they were so useful in so many way so to do without for a long while was more than he could imagine. But then again he hadn’t had the experiences that Saunders had which could make all the difference. Until he knew the man better he would try not to judge too much. At least he knew this man wanted the same things he did, a dead Voldemort and Death Eaters. It was novel.

Usually new people in his life wanted their own agendas filled often at the expense of his wants and safety. MI5 had the same agenda he did for the most part, stop Voldemort and his lackeys. Thanks to that damn prophecy Dumbledore had shared with him, Harry was painfully aware that his life was basically put on hold until that had been accomplished. That sucked so bad that there really were no words for it. His life had been so shaped by the abuse of the Dursleys and Voldemort trying to kill him that he really had no life. He was merely existing and surviving. It seemed like everyone else around him was talking or thinking about dating, the future, having fun, living their lives. And in all honesty he seemed to talk or think about fighting a bloody war and facing off Voldemort. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t bloody fair even remotely. Why couldn’t he date, think about the future, have fun, anything?

Sure, even he had to admit that fun happened occasionally but for the most part, as he got older, it became more of a temporary or special occasion thing and less a way of being. And the notion of the future… any future… that was a cruel joke. When he had gotten his career counseling last year, he actually had no clue what he wanted to become. Thanks to the fact that Voldemort was always coming after him of course he wanted to be an Auror, since in all honesty that’s what he was currently doing, but did he really want to do that? Honestly he had no idea. So much of his life seemed dictated for him that he really did want to give up and let snake face win. At least then he could be with his parents and Sirius again. He fell back against his cot and groaned, trying to hold back the tide of his emotions.

The door to the room opened and he spotted Ron walking into the room, drink in hand. Harry just looked at him, wondering what was going through his friends head. Surely nothing as glum as he was thinking about. “You okay Harry?”

With a slight nod he replied, “Just have a lot on my mind Ron. It’s been a terrible summer.”

Ron closed the door and sat on his bed, placing his glass on the end table. “Yeah… I can understand why.”

Harry turned on his side and looked at him, somewhat surprised by the understanding. “You can?”

“Well yeah, I mean stuck with those stupid muggle relatives of yours the whole time, who wouldn’t go barmy?”

Rolling his eyes Harry flumped back down. Ron’s heart was in the right place but he just didn’t get it. “That’s not it Ron. Yes the Dursleys were the usual level of dreadful but what made this summer terrible is the fact that Sirius is dead and I almost got you all killed because I wouldn’t listen. That was a good bit more problematic than stuff I am already painfully familiar with.”

Ron shifted uncomfortably. This was certainly not an area he was comfortable with. “Well, we got hurt because we need to get better not because it was your fault.”

With a frustrated sigh, Harry said, “Ron… you were all there in the first place because I insisted on going there despite Hermione saying it was a trap.”

“There’s your first mistake right there mate. I mean, I think Hermione has actually been wrong maybe three or four times the whole time we’ve known her if that many. Then there are the times that we thought she was wrong but it turned out later that she was right. It’s bloody annoying.”

“Thanks Ron. That really helps,” replied Harry sarcastically.

“Well, it’s true,” defended Ron.

“I know it’s true Ron.” Harry sat up as he snapped that out. “I’ve been beating myself up over the fact that it was and is true and I ignored it. Hell I even knew it was a trap and I was so upset that I ignored what she said. I was so worried about Sirius that I didn’t even care. So, yes… it is my fault.”

Ron rolled his eyes and said sadly, “You’re barmy.”

Harry grumped about that. The fact that people kept absolving him of his guilt was not actually helping matters. Couldn’t people see where he had gotten them hurt, had gotten Sirius killed? Was it so difficult to acknowledge his personal responsibility in those results? He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He needed to calm down before his anger ran away with him again and he did to Ron’s room what he had done to Dumbledore’s office. “Sorry Ron. Like I said, it’s been a bad summer.”

Ron shifted uncomfortably, clearly at a loss what to do or say next. This really was outside his comfort zone. “What say we play some Quidditch tomorrow? That should perk you right up.”

Harry doubted that would be the case but it didn’t help to argue. Ron’s heart was in the right place so arguing wouldn’t help any. “Sure Ron… that will be great.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

Chap 13

As usual when he stayed over at the Weasleys Harry was up far before most everyone else. Stretching, he grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom, where he was assured at least some hot water. Once he was cleaned up, he went downstairs, and, as usual, there was Mrs. Weasley, futzing around in the kitchen. She always seemed to be in there unless there was reason for her to be elsewhere. It was obviously her space and one she was proud of. She looked up as he descended, since he had forgotten the creaky stair. Once she spotted him she started making him a cup of tea. “Good morning Harry.”

“Good morning Mrs. Weasley.” He smiled at her. For all that she got into his and everyone else’s lives, she was a wonderful person.

“Sleep well?”

“Well enough.” Harry yawned and wiped his eyes. Some days it was a lot harder to get going though he was sure a cuppa would perk him right up.

“Just to let you know Harry, I plan to go shopping over the weekend for school supplies. I can pick up everything for you then as well.”

“Thank you Mrs. Weasley but I want to go with you if possible so I can pick up some things for myself,” stated Harry.

She smiled at him, handing over his tea, “I think that can be managed. Let me talk with Headmaster Dumbledore and arrange for security. I would hate for something to happen to you.”

He smiled at her, knowing his protests about the Headmaster would fall on deaf ears. It was easier to get along with her and try to make things work his way rather than butt heads with her. She made Ron look positively giving. “Mrs. Weasley, do you know how to get to the Lovegood place from here? I usually go running in the morning for exercise and since I wanted to check in with Hermione and Luna I can take care of both things at once.”

“Ah…,” Looking uncomfortable at his question Mrs. Weasley obviously wasn’t sure what to say. He could kind of understand since ultimately she was looking out for his wellbeing, regardless of how annoying it was. Surely though she had gotten the message about him refusing to let his life be completely controlled? Right? Tonks wouldn’t let him down.

Before she could directly forbid him anything and open a rather uncomfortable can of worms, a voice came down the stairwell. “I can take him Mum.”

Harry turned to see Bill there, smiling at him, stepping down into the kitchen.

She didn’t exactly sigh in relief but it was obvious that she was glad that there wouldn’t be a row over this issue. “Thank you William. I didn’t want Harry to go out without protection.”

“Sure Mum.”

While she went to fix her eldest a cup of tea, he came over and sat next to Harry, a smile on his face. “It’s not too far from here actually, maybe a half mile or so if you follow the trail. I know you have been running longer distances than this but this isn’t running on streets so it will be different. The trail isn’t exactly smooth if you take what I mean.”

Harry raised an eyebrow in question. Bill just laughed, following what was unspoken. “Yes, I have been watching out for you as has Fleur. We got the job because we could keep up with you while you were jogging. Apparently the first time Doge tried to do that he needed to see Poppy Pomfrey.”

Shaking his head, Harry was amused with the whole matter. They had really stationed that old man to watch him while he had been jogging? How stupid was that. “Well, it’s been helping me get in shape and I’m not sorry about that. I am sorry it has been a problem for some people but really… Doge? He is nearly as old as Dumbledore.”

“Not a problem Harry. Gringotts insists that their human employees are fit, almost on the order of their warriors, since working in a tomb is not something you want to do if you’re out of shape. So I am used to running as is Fleur, so you at least have two companions. You have no idea the amount of dodging, rolling, jumping, running and such are involved in my work.”

“Thanks Bill, that helps. Well then, as soon as you’re ready we can go. I want to get this done before its time for breakfast. I’m sure Hermione is already awake and reading something so it’s not like she will still be sleeping.”

Bill clasped him on the shoulder with a big grin on his face. “Sure thing Harry, just let me have my tea and we’ll be off.”

Harry finished his own tea, enjoying it in a way that he couldn’t enjoy anything at the Dursley’s. There was something that he was feeling and it wasn’t something he was used to feeling, which often meant it would end up Voldemort related but he was awake and his scar didn’t hurt, leaving him at a loss. Examining it further, he realized that he felt this… nervous anticipation, was the best way he could think of it. Was he nervous about seeing Hermione? Luna? Really? It was just Hermione and Luna. Why would he feel that way? The introspection didn’t help matters either as that was a question that didn’t come even remotely close to getting answered. He never felt this way before coming here to the Burrow so it had to be related to the girls somehow… right? Was he attracted to them?

He closed his eyes to groan internally. That was all he needed. Then again, maybe it really was something he needed, something to make his life less about noseless and more about… well, life. Okay… that was definitely something that warranted a lot more thinking about but which girl? Hermione was his best friend because she never had abandoned him. Ron had the distinction of being his first friend and best mate, the friend that he always knew would come through for him in a pinch, regardless of their other issues, but even Ron didn’t know him like Hermione. And then there was Luna. He felt comfortable around her, pretty much at ease even with all her strangeness. She seemed to get him in a way just as much as Hermione though in a different manner and he was working on trying to get her. It was most definitely a work in progress.

In short order Bill had finished his tea, and led Harry outside. They both stretched a little as he said, “So I’ll lead, since I know the route and if you need me to go faster just let me know.”

“Right.” That sounded good to Harry so he just grinned and nodded.

The pace Bill set was good and while it certainly wasn’t the fastest Harry had gone it was enough to make him puff and sweat as the run went on. The change from paved road to trail certainly made a bit of difference. Granted it wasn’t a very long jog, compared to runs he had gone on before, but it was really nice in the quiet with a slight mist hanging to the grass, making it almost feel like he were running through another world. Before he knew it they had passed through a slight stretch of woods, which included a few roots seemingly there to nearly trip him up and as they came out there was this squat tower that looked a lot like one of Ron’s chess pieces sitting there looking strangely both in and out of place. That had to be Luna’s house. Bill just stood there and stretched a little as Harry walked up to the door.

Before he could knock, the door opened and there was Luna looking at him with those large eyes of hers, a slight smile on her face. “Well hello Harry Potter, what a pleasant surprise. How are you this morning?”

“Just fine Luna. You weren’t expecting me?”

“Oh I was,” replied Luna. “but I figured it would be later in the day. Hello William.”

“Hi Luna.”

“Come on in. Hermione is helping my father make breakfast. We’re having pikelets with dirigible plum preserves and honey and rashers of bacon. We also have tapioca. I prefer it to most porridge. Would you like some?” She stepped to the side to allow him in.

“Sure.” Harry was aware that he probably didn’t sound overly sure, given that he was unsure what some of that was but it might be good. If nothing else there was always bacon.

Once inside Harry noted that the house seemed to fit Luna rather well. There were bright colors about, far brighter than he had seen in any other house, paintings both magical and non, books flooding over multiple shelves and random stacks, several Persian rugs, as well as a samovar with steam rising from it. A tall thin man with stringy blond hair a shade or two darker than Luna’s with whom she bore a good resemblance asked, “Chai?”

“Uhm… no Harry.”

The man blinked owlishly at him, “You want to drink yourself?”

“What? No.”

“So Chai?” he asked again patiently.

“Okay…” He was unsure of his answer as he had never had chai and was uncertain how it would taste. From what he vaguely recalled it was a sort of spicy tea with milk maybe? The man poured it from the samovar and handed him a steaming mug with a bright smile on his face. Hermione was kind of hunched over her own mug sipping away looking rather pleased. Harry decided she looked awake enough to tease, “I thought you were helping to cook.”

“I did,” replied Hermione defensively, glowering at him a little.

“So the foods done?”

Luna nodded as she carried in a large bowl of tapioca pudding from the kitchen. “Oh yes. They’re in the covered tray if you want some.”

Harry and Bill sat down, noting that places had already been set for them, clearly before they had arrived. Harry was surprised to discover that pikelets were a type of crumpet that was far more flat and thin than he was used to seeing. When he had heard the word a far more… fishy sort of breakfast had come to mind. When the plate reached him, he took three, determined to slather them in butter and try the jam. Taking a spoonful of pudding for breakfast was a bit odd but Harry figured that he should at least try it. When in Rome and all that.

Talking resumed after the food was halfway consumed, as it was very tasty regardless of how different it looked. “Poppet, I need to head in to work for a little today. Can you spend time with your friends because I would hate for something to happen to you while I am gone?”

“Certainly Daddy. I figure that Harry plans on talking with Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and I about plans for this fall so I am sure we will be occupied with pleasant conversation if nothing else,” commented Luna, her spoon full up with tapioca.

Mr. Lovegood glanced over at Harry who nodded. That had indeed been the plan though he hadn’t told anyone that. The man nodded in response and had a slurp of his chai. Hermione rolled her eyes at that and said, “I have all the books you wanted in my trunk Harry if there were any you wanted to pick up before we head back to the Weasleys.”

Harry was really happy about that. Some of those books would really help him get his points across, especially to Ron. “That’s great Hermione, thank you. Also do you know if your parents can drop off some library books for me? I got dragged off before I could drop them off myself and Dumbledore was rather focused on his timetable. I am sure that Hedwig could carry them there but I doubt the library would accept the books from her. Not to mention how that could cause some issues in regards to the statute of secrecy.”

“Sure thing Harry. They will surely be fine with that.”

“What sort of books?” asked Bill, looking between the two curiously.

“There are a number of works on counterterrorism, military tactics, training methodology, stuff like that,” commented Hermione casually, sipping her chai happily.

“I hope you are reading responsibly?” asked Mr. Lovegood.

“Absolutely Daddy. Hermione is the most responsible reader I know,” responded Luna.

“Good.” Hermione and Harry shared a look, as if trying to figure out what had just been said. It didn’t help. Apparently the Lovegoods required more work to figure out.

Luna grinned at him, as if she knew what had been going through his mind. “More pudding Harry.”

“No thank you.”

She pouted slightly, “I meant for me.”

“Ah…” Harry picked up the bowl of tapioca and handed it over, his cheeks a bit warm. He had to admit that while the food was odd and certainly unlike anything he had ever had for breakfast it wasn’t bad. Who knew that tapioca might actually work as a breakfast food?

The girls ran upstairs to get ready for the day while Harry cleaned up the breakfast mess as thanks. It didn’t take him long to accomplish, as there were a number of things magic made faster even if you weren’t the one to cast the spells in question. Bill was still at the table with Mr. Lovegood, chatting, having another cup of chai.

Harry had to admit he felt good, better than he had this morning at any rate. He had already figured out a while ago that being around the girls made him feel better and it most certainly was something he was going to try and continue doing once they got back to school. There were a number of non-common room places where they could go to manage that. What muddied the water some was the whole notion of dating one of them. At this point he was unsure if he would want to risk his friendships with either of the girls over the possibility of dating and on top of that, who would he choose? Both of the girls were awesome in their own ways and he had to admit that they were both cute. In a lot of ways he was sure that there really wasn’t a right answer to this whole issue. And he did kind of want to come up with some sort of idea on this whole thing because that might determine what he bought them for their birthdays because if you were dating someone you needed to get them a nice gift.

With Hermione’s coming up right after school started back and Luna’s a bit after that, he wanted to get a jump on presents in order to make his life easier. Having to scramble to get either a gift would be awkward. However, he was getting the notion that dating never really made things easier, at least everything he had seen by watching various couples at school had shown that. He was an idiot for even thinking this but then again there was no denying that both girls had featured rather prominently in some of his… late night personal time which clearly meant he was already invested in the idea to a degree. He did and he didn’t want to do this, as the whole notion of things crashing and burning featured prominently in his worries on the matter but he so had to, because the whole idea of him with either of the girls made him smile. They were both wonderful people and being with them would be great. There was so little for him to smile about nowadays so anything that helped in that was not something he was going to avoid if he could at all help it. Now if only whichever girl he approached would be okay with this then life would be looking up.

The two girls came downstairs together, beaming smiles at him when they reached the bottom. He was screwed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chap 14

“Let me get this straight… your bright idea is that you want to use muggle military ideas to help with Defense Against the Dark Arts?” Ron seemed rather incredulous at Harry’s assertion.

Harry narrowed his eyes, somewhat annoyed with this side of his best mate, “What’s wrong with that? There are a lot of brilliant things in these books that can really help make a difference.”

“Merlin, you sound like Hermione. Look, I’m sure muggles are _really_ successful with these ideas but this is real war. I just don’t get why you think these muggle ideas will be of any help?” Ron countered, trying to get the idea through to Harry’s head.

Hermione groaned in annoyance, clearly she could see where this was headed and it wasn’t going to be overly pretty. Harry’s voice took on a bit of an edge, his eyes narrowing, “So you’re saying that muggle ideas are of no use?”

“That’s not what I said,” protested Ron, backpedaling.

Another voice joined this argument, “Actually Ron that is pretty much what you said.”

“Stop helping Ginny.” He turned towards her and glowered in a very McGonagall sort of way.

His sister smirked at him, unfazed by his glower. Harry didn’t want to get into an argument over this but clearly that had been taken out of his hands, saying, “Look Ron, I know that you can’t seem to wrap your head around the idea that muggles can do a number of things as well as if not better that wizards and witches. A lot of purebloods are like that. You spend so much time in the wizarding world that you can’t see any other way to do things. Ask Hermione, just because it’s different doesn’t make it wrong. Hell there is no spell I have ever heard of that comes close to the raw destructive power of what one nuclear weapon can do nor have I heard of wizards flying faster than the speed of sound, traveling under the ocean for six months at a time, or going to the moon for that matter. So don’t discount these ideas just because you think muggles are idiots. They aren’t and can be far more dangerous than you can imagine.”

Ron turned red faced, his fists clenched, and he looked more than ready to start yelling when Hermione reached out and laid a hand on his arm, stilling him. “Ron, you need to understand, we don’t think you are like Malfoy and his ilk but you do have a bias against muggles and muggleborn. I can list all the times you have been disparaging if you wish but that’s not important. We know it’s something you need to work on but it’s not like it’s the end of the world. You just can’t imagine muggles being able to do more. That’s okay but you need to give new things a try.”

Ron pursed his lips into a thin pale line and forced himself to sit back. His face was still red and he seemed on the edge of speaking out again but he reigned himself back and said tightly, “Fine.”

After giving Ron a thankful look Harry turned back to the others, “What I like about the way muggles fight for one is their absolute belief in cover. They move from cover to cover while fighting, trying to avoid standing right there so they can get shot. From what I have seen, wizards tend to stand in the open, all but asking to get shot if combat started. If we use cover more, move more, we can keep each other safer with fire support and movement. That is just one example. And movement in combat, that is a huge issue as well. If you stand in the same place with only dodging, you can get flanked, like in chess,” explained Harry, hoping what he was saying was making any sort of sense. He felt like he sounded like a loon but this was something he was coming to believe in greatly.

It was clear that Ron was nodding along begrudgingly. His issues with muggles were annoying but Harry could kind of understand where he was coming from, which let him cut his best mate some slack. This was what Ron was used to, a purely magical life since he was a pureblood. He had been raised always believing in the power of magic and lived separated from muggles. His father was a geek for all things muggle but more often than not got things wrong, sounding like a fool. Honestly, with that as a background, how could Ron grow up with any respect for this other culture that shared the world with them?

With furrowed brows Ron conceded the point, “That… you know that does make sense.”

“Then can you give this idea a chance?” Harry was hopeful, knowing that without Ron he might not have the skills to make this happen.

Ron shrugged slightly then nodded, “Yes, I can do that.”

Harry bit back the retort that came to mind, figuring that irritating Ron would not be worth it and would only lead to the two of them having a row. He loved him like a brother but there were so many times where he had to question if he even liked him. Those were not comfortable times, because he honestly couldn’t imagine his life without the red head. The Weasleys had made the last five years of his life bearable.

“Good, now the first thing I noted about the fight in the Department of Mysteries was that we all got tired too easily. I think Luna was the only one who seemed fairly okay near the end and I figure that is due to her trips with her father. If you get tired in a fight then you’ll make too many mistakes, so we need to train our bodies in order to better deal with that. If we are in shape then we will be the more successful at a running battle then they are. I read stuff that said exercising could help make you a bit smarter and more able to deal with things in general. That’s not a bad thing. We need that because anything that can give us an edge we need to take since they have experience on their side.”

“And for this we need to run?” Ron seemed confused by what he was getting at.

“And more. There are other benefits as well that can be of greater use, as muggle athletes work hard and that makes them faster, stronger, and have better reflexes. I figured that you wouldn’t mind getting better, since you want to play so bad. I mean becoming a better athelete… is that really so bad?” Harry figured that it might just provide a good reason for Ron to listen. He was obsessed with getting on the Quidditch team and this might help. “Oh, before I forget, I got you and Ginny some stuff.”

Ron looked a touch peeved at that but held his tongue as Harry dug out a shield hat and wand holster for the two of them. “You need to practice with the holsters until you can flick your wrist and have your wand go right into your hand. Be careful, the holsters can be a bit overzealous.”

Harry gave a quick demonstration of the technique, the wand snapping into his hand. “You never know when you need your wand and this is faster than having it in your pocket. Less likely for you to fumble it as well.”

Ginny grinned at him and seemed pleased to get these. Ron sighed and took them. Harry could imagine what his friend was thinking, that Harry was flaunting his wealth or some such nonsense. He was going to do whatever he could to succeed and keep his friends alive and if that meant ensuring that people had the gear they needed e would spend all he could. If that meant that Ron had to deal with the fact that Harry had money then so be it. It’s not like he was used to it, having been basically a house elf for most of his life.

Luna chimed in at this point, beaming at the others when she pointed out, “The wand holster is very easy to use and you can even make it invisible if you want. See?”

She held up her wand hand to indicate that there was nothing there. Harry was trying to figure out how she did that. There was probably a rune on there somewhere that managed that. Once she had everyone’s attention she did that particular twist of the wrist and suddenly her wand was in her hand. “It’s easy as hopscotch pudding.”

Everyone turned to face the lone Ravenclaw in their midst trying to figure out multiple things out at once. For Harry, he was trying to figure out what in the hell hopscotch pudding was. Was it a different name for butterscotch? She looked at them with a far off look and a happy smile, “It really is rather tasty. I’ll have to get Daddy to make a new batch so Hermione can try some.”

“Anyway… these are yours, so practice with them and have them ready and on you all the time. Also, thanks to the whole letter issue I was having this summer, I haven’t been able to get this from you both earlier. Could you two write up a description of what happened in the Ministry in as much detail as possible? Everything you can remember will be useful. We also need to have Neville do this as well, if someone can send him an owl. This way we can all learn from what we have done right and what needs work,” explained Harry, covering the basics of an After Action Report. “It will let us learn from our mistakes and successes.”

“Wait…” Ron said grumpily. “You want me to do homework over something we did outside of school?”

“Ron…”

“No Hermione, this doesn’t make any sense. Why would we need to do that? We all know what happened.”

“Ron listen to me… please. The reason for an After Action report is so we can review what we did so we know what went right and what went wrong. It is a tool to help us get better. It can be done after anything. Look you know how you keep telling me how important talking about a past game is, that you learn a lot for old Quidditch games and looking over the past games? It’s the same thing. You get different people’s points of view for the biggest and most accurate picture of events.” Harry was really trying with Ron but he was making him mental. Surely there had to be an easier way to make it happen.

Looking very thoughtful, Ron sat there putting pieces together in his own head. Harry turned to look at Ron’s sister. “Do you have a problem with that Ginny?”

“Nope. I can also send something to Neville so we can get his version as well.”

“I’ve already written mine and I have Hermione’s and Luna’s as well and they helped a lot. I even got a few ideas for things we can try thanks to them. Like silencing someone isn’t enough, since anyone can learn to cast wordlessly if they work at it. I also know I did a lot wrong and rushed us in there blind, which I feel really bad about. Its letting me find weaknesses I can fix. I don’t want to let you all down again.”

“Do we get to read them?” asked Ginny, avoiding the last issue completely.

“Yes. This way we can go over things to see if we all agree on what had happened. If there are discrepancies we can talk about that as well. Also, you might get something out of someone’s AAR that you hadn’t expected, like a new spell or a different way to face someone. If we’re going to get better we really need to step up.” Harry was really getting into what he was saying.

“Harry? Could you come down here please?”

Everyone stopped and stared at each other. Had that been Mr. Weasley? Harry turned to the side and called out, “Just a second! Hermione, you take over since you know what I’m talking about. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and flipped back a few pages in her notebook to her older notes. Harry didn’t mean for things to get even more academic than they had been but it wasn’t like he had a choice. He had been called away and so needed to deal with that. Hermione took up from where he left off as he headed down stairs, covering other areas they had discussed. Reaching the landing he spotted the various adults of the house standing nervously looking at Mr. Saudners, who did not indicate that he knew him in any way. “Yes Mr. Weasley?”

“Harry, good, good… let me introduce you to Mr. Saunders, a hit wizard who has been called in special. It seems our new minister insisted that you have proper protection at all hours of the day and night, at least until this crisis is over.” Mr. Weasley looked a touch uncomfortable. Harry figured it had to do with the fact that Dumbledore had not been consulted or if he had, he had not bothered to share any of that information.

“Okay.” Harry walked over and extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you Mr. Sanders.”

“It’s Saunders. A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Potter. I shall endeavor to keep you as safe as I can manage. Thank you for the introduction Arthur.” Saunders smiled at Mr. Weasley.

“My pleasure Nigel. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

“You know how it is… I got busy and my work took me various places.” Saunders sounded far more warm and approachable than he had back when they first met. “When Madame Bones asked for my assistance I was happy to oblige.”

Harry looked the man up and down, as if appraising him. “So, you’re my bodyguard?”

“Yes, well more I’m more Hit Wizard than bodyguard though I have done that as well and have never lost a client. I am here to make sure you can get out of this mess in one piece and that you suffer no surprises.” He grinned at Harry, holding out his hand.

Taking the man’s hand and shaking it firmly, “I’m okay with that.”

Mrs. Weasley sniffed, it seemed that she did not approve of him. “So you’ll be staying then?”

“Now Molly, he is here to look after Harry on the orders of the Minister, herself. My understanding of everything was that he is going to be following Harry pretty much everywhere. So of course he can stay. And you know, having an extra wand if things go amiss is never a bad thing,” said Arthur.

Harry could tell that a much louder conversation was brewing and that it would be best to flee while the getting was good. “Uhm… let me show you where I am sleeping. You can meet my friends.”

With a nod of understanding from Mr. Saunders, Harry headed back upstairs and then into the bedroom. He could hear the starts of the conversation below and quickly shut the door behind him. Needless to say the others were surprised by his guest, staring at him in confusion. Hermione blinked a few times, as if putting pieces together, then spoke up, “You… you’ve been at my parents place of work.”

Saunders nodded his head, looking rather impressed. “I have indeed Miss Granger. Well spotted. I was checking the security measures that were in place to ensure that they would still be sufficient.”

Hermione’s brows furrowed. “My parents have security?”

“Well, not that they are aware of, but yes,” answered Saunders politely.

Hermione looked thoughtful and pursed her lips in determination. She pulled her wand free and quickly put up a few privacy wards. She turned back to the new person in the room and asked, “You’re the man from MI5 that Harry told us about, aren’t you?”

“Yes Miss Granger, I am.”

“So, your job is to keep Harry safe and help us?” Hermione was obviously trying to get a feel for what the man was doing here.

“To the best of my abilities. From what I gathered from Harry here is that you need someone who can help you with training, and as a former SAS operative I can certainly update the way you all fight. We should be able to get your skills to where they should be with some effort.”

“That’s good,” said Luna. “We could stand to get better. We certainly need to ensure wrackspurts don’t affect us when we are fighting. Now, Mr. Saunders, what has sass taught you about fighting Death Eaters.”

“That’s SAS,” corrected Saunders, with an amused look on his face.

Luna looked a bit confused, “That’s what I said, sass.”

Saunders groaned. This was certainly the kind of thing he was likely to pass on. Harry chuckled, pleased that Luna lightened the mood sufficiently, and said, “Just wait, it gets worse from here. Now what do you know about occulamency and can you help us all learn?”


	15. Chapter 15

Chap 15

“Why the bloody hell are we doing this?” panted out Ron.

“Language Ron.” Hermione was barely able to get that out, having her own issues with air.

“If you can still talk, you can work harder,” ordered Saunders, supervising their physical training.

Bill and Fleur were joining in and doing far better than the others but it seemed as if this was even a challenge for them. Luna was the only one still smiling but Harry wondered if that was just a part of who she was or if she were honestly enjoying all this physical training. After another fifteen minutes of exercises, their instructor called out, “Alright, rest.”

They were all lying there like limp wet things, with Ron groaning out, “It think I’m going to be sick.”

Saunders called out another order, “Get up, move around so your muscles don’t tighten up. You’ll thank me because cramps are no fun.”

Once Harry was to his feet he helped up Hermione and then Luna. Harry then tried to massage his lower back but it just wasn’t enough. “I hurt.”

Luna came over and rubbed Harry’s back, working the muscles with sure hands. After a short while she asked, “It’ll get easier… right?”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” said Harry. “I mean I can do more now than I could at the beginning of summer so I am fairly certain the body adapts.”

A voice cut into their conversation, “I know you can’t cast right now but I have an exercise that will help with your dueling and other fighting.”

The dirty and downright hostile looks that he earned made the older man smile. “You know… disliking me is okay. That’s normal for training. Disliking the person who is torturing you to make you stronger is par for the course. However, if this is what you want you’ll keep going, keep pushing, keep expanding your limits. You have five more minutes to work those kinks out and then we start.”

“Why did you think this was a good idea?” panted Ron, giving Harry a look of betrayal.

Harry looked at him right back, despite almost agreeing with Ron’s silent assessment. “Muggle soldiers are in really good shape and because of that they can work harder and faster than others. This sort of thing makes them superior soldiers and is why this sort of training is standard for the more professional armies of the world. I want us to be like that: better, stronger, faster. If my idea holds water, then with us being stronger and healthier, more able to dodge what they throw at us, with a better battle sense, the odds are we will out preform the Deatheaters any time we meet them.”

“So we have to suffer for that?” grouched Ron, massaging a charley horse in his calf.

Harry was getting tired with the complaints. While he understood that this wasn’t easy, Ron wasn’t actually trying to give this training a chance. He was just planning on going along as usual when that hadn’t really worked. Ron had gotten hurt at the Ministry and it had taken weeks of work with a mind healer to help him get over the brain thingy that had grabbed onto his head. Harry had no intention of letting his friend get hurt just because he was naturally lazy. The irritation with this and the unspoken commentary on his idea, made him snap, “Look Ron, you don’t have to do this. I get it, it’s hard work and you would rather do anything else. You want to know why? Well, I don’t want to fail you all and I don’t want my friends to get hurt or even killed. I am going to do this because I need to get stronger, faster, better so I don’t lose anyone else.”

Hermione and Luna rested their hands on his back as his chest tightened and heaved a little, memories of Sirius falling through the Veil, never to be seen again, running through his mind. His Godfather had died because he had been an idiot and led his ill-prepared friends into an obvious trap. Ginny glared at her brother angrily. Saunders just stood there impassively, watching the whole thing playing out without comment. Ron gaped a few times at the fact that Harry had actually yelled at him and then he set his face, looking as serious as he could when this annoyed, “Fine. Let’s do this.”

With a sigh, Harry bowed his head, trying to figure out why he was so upset and angry. Why was Ron annoying him more now than he had before, or at least not more than he had in fourth year? It wasn’t like Ron had really changed so it had to be him… right? Something in him had changed and that’s why he was having issues with his friend. He needed to do a lot more thinking and it wasn’t easy at the Burrow when there was always a lot going on. Quiet was not something there was a lot of and he was not used to that kind of introspection with all that noise. Maybe he should walk the girls back to the Rookery to give himself the needed time to mull over these things on the way back. It would at least be something.

“Right. Now that we got that out of the way, back to work. The exercise I have planned is easy, we’re going to walk over there, which is your start point. Your task is simple. All you have to do is to get from there back to the house without getting stunned. If you are stunned you are out. Get there any way you want, so that will be fine. I will be at the halfway point to stop you. Are we all clear? Ready?”

They nodded and headed out to where Saunders had pointed. Harry was looking about, noting where he could hide and get cover along the path he was thinking would be best. It could be done. There were some open spaces but if he ran like he saw from the books, avoiding straight lines unless he was moving from cover to cover, then he should be able to do this. He was prepared.

“Go!”

Harry dove into cover as he looked towards where Saunders had been standing. There was no one there. Harry grit his teeth in annoyance and concentration. Great, the man was either disillusioned or hiding really, really well. Bloody hell! He kept moving, listening as best he could for any disturbance in the area. He could see Hermione tearing off on the other side of the field. Damn she could run! A flash of red light had him drop to the ground and roll to the side, getting his head back into the exercise. He heard a body hit the ground off behind him.

Cursing under his breath, he burst towards more cover, moving as fast as he could, to avoid being exposed for long. His lungs were burning and he all but dove into cover at the end of his zigzag route. Merlin he was so close, the only problem was that he had to run through a clear field of fire for the last bit. When his panting caught up, breaths slowing, he nodded. Time to go.

The red light hit him when he was a touch over halfway there, dropping him to the ground maybe fifteen feet from the building. Everything went dark as he fell forward, momentum carrying him forward. When he was enervated he found a mug of water close at hand and everyone else sitting around him looking worse for wear. Saunders smiled down at them, “Nicely done you all. You performed better than I had hoped, with two of you almost making it. So well done Harry and Luna, that was wonderfully done. Ron, you need to loosen up some so you are able to dive and roll. You were too stiff as you ran. Luna, that was wonderfully done. Moving when others left cover was clever and you got closer than anyone else. Harry, nicely done as well. You used cover well and moved smartly, managing to avoid several spells. Hermione, you did well but you thought about where you were running far too much. That made you an easier target due to your indecision. You may not guess right but moving without hesitation is key. Ginny, the exercise was to use cover, though you were almost fast enough to make it. You were the third closest.”

That assessment made Harry feel pretty good and hopeful. He and Luna had made it the farthest followed by Ginny, Ron and lastly Hermione, but all in all they had all made it farther than halfway, which he thought was impressive. His bushy haired friend was rather put out over that development, since she really was not used to being the last in anything. Ron was trying to catch his breath and asked, “What in the bloody hell does that have to do with muggle ways of doing things?”

Saunders chuckled, standing there and looking down at them all as they lay on the ground recovering, “In basic training soldiers actually have to practice this over and over, because getting shot is a bad thing. Bullets can easily kill you, destroy limbs, throw you backwards from the kinetic force. Magic can be the same way. Getting hit with a spell can be bad, even simple ones like the Jelly Legs curse can end with you dead. In combat, either muggle or magical, movement and cover equals survival. A lot of wizards don’t think about that when they go into fights. They don’t think about accuracy all that much either. Magicals have not made fighting a science, concentrating on dueling rather than larger conflicts. You want to know why Bellatrix is such a great dueler? I’ve fought her a few times before she was captured, so I am very familiar with her. Bellatrix has worked very, very hard at the science of combat. She constantly moves, uses the environment to her favor, and her casting is very accurate. That is something to emulate.”

Ron looked disgusted and spat out, “Guh… why would I want to do anything like her?”

“Because she is one of the best duelers alive and if you want to survive this upcoming war, you will at least learn that from her.” Saunders said flatly, a touch of edge to his voice. “I mean, if you want to give up right now and lie down to let the Deatheaters win, go ahead. I’m not stopping you. But if you want to do this, to stop those bastards at every turn, shut up and learn something from someone who has faced death more times than you lot. And yes, before you protest I know everything Harry has dealt with so far. My statement still stands. He’s not the only person here who has fought Voldemort and lived.”

Ron gave him a look of disbelief. Wide eyed he looked between Harry and Saunders. “You’re kidding… right mate?”

Harry groaned in frustration with him but apparently he was not quiet enough. His friend turned to look at him questioningly. With a sigh, Harry said, “If he says that I would believe him Ron. He has had a long career in both worlds. And Ron, the odds are that we have to face Bellatrix again and this time I don’t want anyone to die or even get hurt as badly as you and Hermione had at the Ministry. If that means we learn to fight with her as an example, fine. If that means I have to kiss bloody Malfoy with tongue to keep people alive I will do it without hesistation. Having all of you alive at the end of this is all that matters to me.”

Luna held up a hand, stopping the conversation in its tracks, a dreamy look on her face, “Wait… give me a minute, it is such a pretty image I want to keep it forever.”

Hermione and Ginny busted out laughing while Harry blushed a bright, bright red. Ron looked a touch ill, shuddering. “That… that’s bloody nasty.”

Despite his face burning almost painfully, Harry struggled to look serious, “It really is, but I hope that gives you an idea of how far I will go to keep you all alive.”

Saunders chuckled, “It’s the white hair isn’t it? Lucius really makes that look work as well. That seems to do it for some people.”

As people kept laughing, Luna looked at her own hair and pouted, “Darn… not white enough. Harry, will you love me anyway?”

He started in surprise at the statement, throwing him a good bit, making his emotions go wild. Mouth dry all of a sudden, he stammered out, “Uhm… uh… yes… I guess?”

Ginny placed her hand on her forehead, leaned back slightly, and sighed dramatically, “Oh my… I will forever be out of the running with my hair. If only spelled hair held that color forever. Alas.”

Harry’s face kept getting warmer and warmer. A part of him was worried that the blood veins in his face would burst. Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him and pointedly asked, “Is there something you want to tell us Harry?”

It felt like he was terribly sunburned and his face almost pulsed. He tried to speak but stammered a few times before he managed to get out, “Can… can we go back to training? Please? Or just stupefy me?”

“Why Harry…” said Luna, cocking her head to the side like a curious cat. “You face matches Ginny’s hair. I didn’t know you could do that. Are you a metamorphmagus by any chance?”

With a pleading look up at Saunders, Harry tried to beg for help from his supposed bodyguard. What good was having a bodyguard is he let things like this happen? Saunders just chuckled at it all and said, “Right you lot… we have more to do. That’s enough rest.”

Luna came over to Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder, and said, “Hopefully nargles won’t steal your love away.”

As Harry smiled up at her, his thoughts sort of stuck on her statement, unable to move on. Stealing his love? Did he have a love? Not really, unless something had happened that he was unaware of or did he? Merlin things were confusing. What was it with girls and messages that he couldn’t interpret? Why was he unable to figure this out? These three girls were the only ones he felt close to and he had to ponder that. Ginny had always sort of intrigued him… in that particular way, but she was younger than him, far more so than Luna. Besides, she was dating Dean Thomas so she was certainly off the market, not to mention she was Ron’s sister. That was a bit of a shame given that she was really cute and in to quidditch like he was, not to mention attractive. But then again, what about Hermione or Luna?

He glanced up and saw the two of them standing to the side, stretching and talking, smiling happily. Hermione was working some sort of cream into her chest, under her shirt, struggling so hard to get her flexibility back after her injury. From what she had said sometimes the scar tissue would pull painfully and made it hard for her to do things. That made him feel guilty any time he thought of it but this was also the girl who threatened to beat some sense into him. Given the very important fact that she had all but dropped Malfoy with one smack he was a bit leery of her letting loose on him. She could be scary.

Luna on the other hand was sweet if a bit dreamy. She was also a clever as hell duelist, using odd combinations of spells to devastating effect. It had impressed the hell out of him last year in the DA practices. And in her own way she was brilliant, just as brilliant as Hermione though from a different direction. The two of them were actually scary smart, making feel like an idiot all the time when they were talking. That he had to buckle down and learn more, a lot more just to keep up was a bit of an annoyance but he hated feeling like he had just missed something in what they were saying. They just got so excited sometimes and the words got longer and longer, leaving him to sit there clueless.

However… could he be happy with either of them? They were both beautiful, though each in unconventional ways. They were both smart, fun to talk to, shared some of his interests, and he was attracted to both. Hell, he even felt a bit better about everything when around either of them, as while they both cared neither smothered him with it which he hated. Around them he honestly tried to be a better, smarter person. However the terrifying question was would they even consider going out with him? Well, not they of course, because dating two girls… that would be insane even if the goblins said it was okay. But either of them?

Closing his eyes, his thoughts drifted and he could see himself with either girl, holding hands, sitting by the fire, just being. That… would be nice. He blushed… but that would mean he would have to take the chance and talk to either of them about this. His mind merged the two images, both girls cuddled up to him on the couch. Merlin, what… what could he do? Having to talk to them? He would just about die. With a dating history like his who in their right mind would want to be involved with Train Wreck Potter? The girls looked his way and smiled at the same time. His heart stopped.

Saunders scanned the group and got their attention, “Right… now that you are all nice and rested we are going to try that one more time. Before we go, remember, cover is your friend and don’t run in a straight line except for short stretches. Hermione, don’t just go for it. It doesn’t matter how fast you are if you are running in a straight line. Ron, loosen up. That will help you go faster. You all have that? Good. Now head on down to the start position and we will have another go. Off you go.”

With a group groan, they all put down their water and headed towards the start point. Harry somehow ended up behind Hermione and Luna and felt his eyes drop to watching their backsides, the sway of their hips, every move they made. He tried to pull his eyes away and failed. How was he going to deal with this?

 


	16. Chapter 16

Chap 16

Ron was snoring off to his side, tucked safely in his bed while Harry was going over some of the documents he had gotten from the goblins at the will reading. There had been so many things about his new role as Head of House, specific Black family information, his legal status as emancipated yet underage, and a bunch of other things. His head was spinning about all that paperwork and his hand ached from signing. Despite some of the language being over his head and more likely to come from Hermione, he kind of recalled seeing something in them when he first scanned the various scrolls and wanted to verify it. It was something odd about marriage laws that kept bouncing around his head; maybe some of the information actually took. After a while of searching the stack he was able to find it. Unrolling it, he scanned things until he had gotten to the part that had mentally tripped him:

…and while there are few provisions in Wizarding law for this situation, though it is one definitely not unheard of, goblin banking law recognizes marriage as a simple business transaction where one person connects their vault or vaults with another, giving that person power of attorney and full and complete access. As a standard business transaction, there is recognition of the potential for multiple vault holder access though we do prefer it be limited to one per last name, for paperwork reasons. Should you wish to have multiple partners in this particular business venture, i.e. marriage, goblin banking law supports it. It is potentially foolish to allow others access to your vaults, but they are after all your accounts you will be allowing access to.

He read it again, slower this time, parsing out the meaning. Did that really say what he thought, that he could marry two different people since he had two last names? And that this was goblin law but not wizarding, would that really matter? The goblins seemed to be rather entrenched in the wizarding world, what with their running of the bank and all, but did their influence extend into the wizarding with something like that, this dual marriage. And why the hell was he blushing?

The fact that his face burned while thinking about this subject was a bit of a concern. His heart raced and he really wanted to know what the hell was going on in his own head. It felt a little like his heart did when he first really saw Cho Chang and felt that… attraction towards her. Why was he so overrun with emotion right now? There was no one specific that he was attracted to that came to mind when e read that, or was there? As feelings washed over him, Harry tried to make sense of them. He was excited, terrified, hopeful, nervous, and those were the easy ones to figure out. This emotional maelstrom spun him round and round, which he didn’t really enjoy.

It had to be something about that radical notion that he could marry more than one person thanks to goblin banking law. That was… well he was still trying to figure out what that was. Honestly, were there two people who wouldn’t mind marrying him? He shook his head in disbelief. Who would be crazy enough to marry someone with a death sentence on their head that could pull them into the crosshairs? Hermione? Luna? Hell, he hadn’t even summoned up the courage yet to even ask one of them to date him and now the bloody goblins had to go and change things on him, making the whole thing even crazier.

They would kill him. They would flat out kill him. If he asked the two of them to date him, he would die.

Oh Merlin he was so amazingly screwed. How could this ever end well? Who could he choose? They were both awesome in different ways and he was at a loss over which way to turn. Other things… yes, he needed to get his mind off that subject or he would never manage to get to sleep. He needed to stop thinking about the girls, about their hair, their eyes, how sexy they looked, all of that. As his body responded to the direction and vividness of his thoughts, he groaned in annoyance. It was like that body part had a bloody mind of its own and responded to the least little provocation. Thank Merlin that the robes at school could cover any… moments. And… taking action to deal with it with Ron right there was less than appealing. He really didn’t want to deal with that right now so he banished it with the first thing that leapt into his mind, memories he wished had been Oblivated but there was no way he would ever be that lucky. His life didn’t work that way. He brought up the image of his aunt in a towel that barely covered her… that did the trick.

With a shudder, he tried to settle himself under the covers, hoping that he could finally fall asleep. There were things he had to do tomorrow and if he didn’t rest his morning exercise would kill him. Hell, why did he decide that all this exercise was a good thing? Oh yeah, he wanted to survive to be at least eighteen. Fucking Voldemort!

With that thought he finally managed to drift off to sleep. His dreams were turbulent but not bad per se and he tossed and turned. When he awoke he was groggy as could be, his mind not wanting to engage with anything. With a brief moan, Harry thought that he informed Ron that he was going downstairs despite no words being uttered. Stumbling a few times getting out of the room and down the stairs, a bleary eyed Harry made it to the kitchen. Molly glanced over and then snickered when she saw him. Turning slightly to look behind him to find what was funny; Harry made a sort of scrunched confused face. There was nothing there.

“Blimey Harry, you look like someone has beaten on you all night. Were you sleeping with Ron again?” exclaimed one of the twins, clearly pleased by this.

Harry turned to face him, the scrunched look going nowhere. “Uh… what?”

Fred snickered, enjoying this rare treat. It was rare to see Harry in such a state. “Did you sleep with Ron?”

“George!” chimed in his mother, aghast at the implication.

“Oi… woman… over here.” George waved from where he was sitting at the table a few spaces away from his twin.

“Uhm… Ron… bedroom…?” Harry was wondering why that didn’t sound quite right. His eyes also wouldn’t focus right and he swayed slightly. The twins cackled in delight.

Molly set a cup of tea down in front of him which he drank mechanically. Something was different… he had tea and there was no screaming.

“Man and I thought that Ron woke up ugly.”

“This is priceless. We must-“

“-remember this always.” The twins said at the same time.

He caught part of the conversation around him, “What?”

“Nothing Harry dear, drink your tea.”

The caffeine in the tea started to do its job and Harry became more and more aware and awake. As sentience bled back in, he realized that he had dressed for his exercise and run already though he couldn’t even recall doing that. He stood and said, “Thank you for the tea. It really helped. Well, gotta run. I should be back before you really start on breakfast Mrs. Weasley.”

Starting to get used to this odd behavior from him, she just nodded. As Harry exited the Burrow he spotted Saunders standing off to the side, leaning against the wall and drinking from a steaming mug. With a smile, he greeted him happily, “Morning.”

“Morning Mr. Potter. Going for a run are we?” asked Saunders, looking out over the grounds.

“Yeah. Were you going to join me?” He was fairly sure of what the answer would be but he wanted to check.

“Of course. I would be a piss poor bodyguard if I didn’t.” He finished his drink, wiped out the mug, and slipped it in the fanny pack he was wearing. “So, I gather you know the route?”

Harry nodded, “Yes.”

“Then lead on MacDuff!”

Harry shook his head slightly, was Saunders for real… Shakespeare at whatever o’clock in the morning it was. It was something he would more expect from Hermione than a secret agent. Regardless, he led the man down the trail that lead to the Rookery, wanting to see the girls again this morning. Running out to see the two of them was a good thing as far as he was concerned, seeing that he missed spending as much time with them with neither being at the Burrow. Granted he was still having an excellent time with Ron, playing Exploding Snap, losing at Wizard’s Chess, and flying around but he also missed the kind of conversations he got into whenever either of the girls were around. They just made him feel better. Of course some of the talks he had had with Ron about Quidditch were rather important since he had been made Captain of the Gryffindor team and knew that in that area Ron far surpassed Hermione.

Puffing a little from the exertion, he glanced over at Saunders who looked all the world like he was taking a pleasant morning stroll and not running like they were. Not even Bill had looked this unaffected by the exercise which was a bit irritating. But then again, from what he had read about the SAS, this length and speed of a run would barely count as a warmup. One thing that was tough was that he had unconsciously picked up the pace, apparently trying to impress the man but he had no idea if he was successful or not. Saunders was an enigma.

Standing outside the Rookery, panting heavily, hunched over with his hands braced against his knees, he looked up questioningly at Saunders who was scanning the area. “What?”

“Nothing actually, but it doesn’t hurt to be aware of your surroundings. Like the old SAS adage goes: Never underestimate risk, don’t assume by appearance, be prepared for anything, surprises are lethal.” The adage rolled off his tongue not as something remembered but as something lived.

Harry took that in, thinking about all that implied. He had sort of followed that so far in his life. “That sounds like good advice.”

The door opened and the two girls stood there grinning, looking down on the two of them. Hermione seemed pleased for some reason when she asked, “Good run Harry?”

“Yes, thanks.”

“Come on in,” offered Luna. “We have water and other beverages inside.”

Harry was glad for the water, since the run had built up a thirst and he drained his glass dry, moving for a refill. Hermione stood off to the side shaking her head. “Too much for you Potter?”

“Oi… what’s that for?” replied Harry, somewhat affronted.

She beamed at him, “Just teasing. So, shopping?”

“Shopping,” replied Harry. He still has some issues with the activity done in the overkill sense that he had experienced but he could live with it. “Mrs. Weasley begrudgingly agreed to let us all come but there will be several Order members about for extra protection in case the Deatheaters want to have a surprise waiting.”

“That’s good. Daddy said there were more Aurors stationed there than usual and that there will be more at the station. He thinks that it is connected to some plot, like Fudge will use his army of Heliopaths to strike vengeance upon the populace for ousting him or something but I’m not sure. I just think it’s nice to give the Aurors something to do since they have had so little to do as of late.” Luna replied taking the glass from Harry.

“Did you want to grab your things and run over?” asked Harry, visions of both girls wearing shorts dancing in his mind. This was not a helpful image at that point.

“No, I think we should save the exertion for later,” commented Luna with a wink. “But you can run along to the Burrow and we will follow behind, enjoying the scenery.”

Hermione blushed and looked away when she said that, swatting Luna lightly on the arm. This caused the blond to grin happily in response, turning from Harry to her. Harry stood there blinking between the two of them trying to figure out what he had missed because it was clear that something had been said which had gone over his head. He heard a snicker from behind him and turned, noting that Saunders seemed rather amused at things. Even he got it?! That was unfair. Honestly, what had he missed and why did he feel it was at his expense?


	17. Chapter 17

Chap 17

It was fairly quiet at the Burrow for a change, which was a bit odd. It was usually so raucous that he loved going outside to the relative quiet. But what had happened was that he had gone to the room he shared with Ron and had done some reading. Not wanting to do something boring Ron was currently out flying with Ginny. Apparently both were “in training” for Quidditch that fall. Ron was going to try out for Keeper and so Ginny was running him through drills. Hermione and Luna were off somewhere doing something. He gathered that they were at the Rookery again. That was a pairing he had not expected but he had to admit that the two girls made for an impressive team when they were working together. The twins were supposed to come by around dinner but were working at the moment. It was oddly quiet without them around as he had gotten used to. There were far too few explosions for it to be a normal visit. Even Mrs. Weasley was leaving him alone at the moment, which was odd but nice. Saunders was outside checking the wardline or something. This would be a perfect time, as it was doubtful that he would get another chance.

He had put it off and put it off because he had no idea what to do or say on the subject that would make him sound less like an idiot but things had been whirling around his brain, making him less likely to understand things rather than more. It was confusing but what else could he do? He needed help and he wasn’t afraid to admit it… at least in the privacy of his own brain.

Taking hold of this rare quiet, Harry walked into the living room where he spotted his target. Excellent! Fleur was sitting by the window reading something. He had no idea what but it really didn’t matter. She was alone and there was no one about. He could do this without witnesses. Yes! “Uhm… uh… Fleur?”

“Oui ‘arry?” She placed a bookmark before closing the book and setting it aside, looking up at him quizzically.

He shifted uncomfortably. Why did this whole thing have to be so difficult? “Do you have time to talk?”

The smile she gave him helped settle his nerves. She really did have a nice smile when she actually shared one. From what he remembered from his fourth year it didn’t happen very often. “Oui, I ‘ave ze time. What is it?”

He took a seat near her and leaned in, whispering, “Could you put up some privacy spells? I don’t want anyone to overhear us.”

Quirking one elegant eyebrow, Fleur nodded pulling free her wand, and cast a few spells quickly. He recognized the spells as ones that Hermione had learned. Perhaps he should learn them as well? As Fleur was putting away her wand she looked at Harry directly and asked, “Zere you go. I ‘ave ensured our privacy. Now what is it?”

Summoning his courage Harry forced out the words, because it was a rather touchy subject with him, since he had no clue and felt like a lumbering oaf. This was something that he had to fix. “It’s about Hermione and Luna.”

“What about ‘zhem?” Her accent was getting much better than it had been a year ago but there were a few sounds she still struggled with. Clearly her working for Gringotts had been of some help.

“Uh… well you see…” Harry’s face burned, as he looked shifty, checking to see if anyone was coming in. He knew he needed advice but this was private and one of the first things he had learned at the Dursleys was to keep whatever secrets and emotions secret so they didn’t get used to taunt you. This was one of the more emotional things he could deal with and sharing it felt wrong but it wasn’t like he had any other option. What was he going to do, talk to Hermione about how he fancied her as well as Luna? That way led to pain, he was sure of that.

Fleur shifted uncomfortably on the chair, sitting more upright. Giving him the most intent look she could with her discomfort, she asked, “‘arry, please tell me you do not need ze Talk?”

“What!? No… no… I…. uh… no, oh God no… Remus and Sirius took care of that. Really.” With a shudder, Harry’s face blushed worse as he recalled the conversation from last summer. Well it was more of a lecture, a painful lecture, with graphics. The two Marauders had enjoyed every minute of it once they got over the initial awkwardness that bringing it up created. Apparently those two had talked with his father before everything had happened, a little while after he had been born, and they had joked about giving this Talk to Harry, as a way to impart their vast wisdom on the subject. It had been a long conversation and had apparently involved firewhiskey. Therefore the two remaining Marauders carried out his father’s wishes, much to his mortification. He had never really disliked his father, or the other two more than at that time.

“Zen what?” She seemed amused at his reaction as well as relieved that she would not have to explain the facts of life. Friendship only went so far.

“Uhm… why is this so hard?” muttered Harry before he thought about what he wanted to say and what he just had. Oh Merlin… had he made an erection joke? To Fleur? Was his face on fire?

Fleur smiled, seemingly enjoying Harry’s discomfort. “It will be okay. Sit and we can talk about whatever it is that is bothering you.”

He took the offered seat and shifted, trying to get comfortable but that was not to be. Being unsure about all of this he started out a bit stumbly, “Uhm… well… it’s about… well okay…. Look, Gringotts sent me something that said since I am the Head of two families that I can have two wives? Is that true?”

Fleur looked a bit surprised at the question, and then nodded, realizing where Harry was going with all of this. “Ah oui… zat is true. To ze goblins marriage is not as emotionally bound as it is with ‘umans. Zey are a very pragmatic people. ‘umans are a bit more touchy on ze issue, especially ze British. It is less of an issue in France where we understand such zings. Zere such zings ‘appen and it is no matter. I gather your real issue is zat you are unsure ‘ow to approach ze girls you are interested in, non?”

Nodding, Harry was fairly glad that she had figured out the really embarrassing part. “Yeah… I mean, the whole thing is so messed up. I mean honestly, who would be interested in dating me if there was another girl in the picture? How is that even a thing I could do? And that’s not even considering Voldemort and his gang of idiots.”

Fleur gave him a very understanding look that also had a degree of amusement in it. There was laughter in her voice when she asked, “You zink zat either ‘ermione or Luna care about such zings?”

“Well… no. Knowing both of them they won’t care about that last part.” Harry froze, realizing what she had said. Was the whole thing really that transparent? He swallowed thickly, uncomfortable that he had been so easily read. “I mean what do I do? I like both of them in different ways but knowing I can actually date both of them gave me the thought that I could maybe, possibly, date the two of them. But how? How do you even?” Harry had his head bowed, hands clasped, heart pounding a mile a minute. He wiped his palm sweat off on his jeans.

There was that knowing sort of smirk thing Fleur had. “Ah… ‘ow do you approach ze girls without making ze fool out of yourself? Zat is it, oui?”

“Yes!” Some of his desperation was clear in his voice.

She smirked at him, clearly amused with his suffering. “Ah… oui… well, with most girls zis could be a problem, seeing as girls rarely like to share boys, ‘owever ze ones in question are not most girls. Zey are both free zinkers who do not comply with society and zat makes a big difference. I zink zat with zese two you need to be forward and upfront with zem. Zey will not respond to ze tricks some men use to attract ze women. Just be ‘onest and tell zem ‘ow you feel. If you do zat all should be fine.”

Harry sighed, relief flooding through him. Just talking to them… he could do that. All he had to do was find the right time to bring it up. Then if they didn’t kill him things would get… well different for sure. But that wasn’t the only aspect of this issue that was bothering him. “So if I ask them both and they don’t hurt me for even asking, people won’t have issues with that?”

“In France zis would be a non-issue, as I said, but ‘ere… ze British can be a bit… ah what is ze word… stogy. I zink zat ze Purebloods will understand, as it is indeed something zat zey ‘ave done zemselves but some will ‘ave issues regardless. Zey will be upset zat you ‘ave chosen a muggleborn and a girl from a less prominent family to be your paramours. With you fame zere is no way for you not to ‘ave someone upset with your choice. Ze best zing you can do in zis situation is be true to ze girls. Don’t worry about what some will say, just love zose you love. In ze end you are ‘arry Potter and zey will let you do what you will.” Fleur summed up with a rather Gallic shrug.

Frowning mightily, his brows furrowed deep, Harry grumbled out, “That is annoying. So no matter what I do I’m screwed. Well, if that stupid fame can be good for me then I might as well accept it. It’s not like it really has been good for much before.”

She rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. “Zat is a good way of looking at it ‘arry. You did not ask for zis fame but you ‘ave often risen to ze challenge and proved zat you are worthy of zis fame. I know zat you do not believe me but it is true. Time and again you ‘ave been more zan the Boy Who Lived. You are a good man ‘arry Potter doing ze best you can do in a very difficult situation.”

Harry sighed and a lot of the tension drained from him. No one had really put things that way before and it bore thought but it did make all that more palatable. “Thanks Fleur.”

“It is no problem ‘arry. I am ‘appy to ‘elp even if it was a bit awkward at ze start.”

“Oh… on a different topic I have noticed that Mrs. Weasley and Ginny are giving you some grief. Is everything okay?” Harry knew that this was a dangerous topic from what he had observed but it really had been bugging him. In an act of solidarity, he wanted to make sure that Fleur knew what was going on and that he was on her side.

“Ah… oui, I am aware of… zat. I believe zat Ginny calls me Phlegm, is zat right? And Molly is quite disparaging, non?” There was a degree of merriment in her voice but Harry thought he could some pain in her eyes.

“She does. I’ve told her to quit it but I have no idea how successful it will be. And yeah… I’ve heard Mrs. Weasley a few times. I never know what to say.” Harry felt a bit embarrassed about that but honestly, how could he chastise his friend’s Mum?

She gave him an understanding look. “It is of no matter. From Ginny I am stealing ‘er big brother away. From Molly, I am not good enough for ‘er son. Zese are sadly to be expected.”

“You were the Beauxbatons champion in the TriWizard Tournament, how could that not be good enough?” Harry was really confused by that whole way of thinking. How did that even make any sense? Fleur was a good person once you got past the cold façade that she had around people she didn’t know. Harry figured that it was probably a Veela thing. The only other person who had a mask like that was Tonks, so it was probably due to unwanted advances or something. And this whole vague dislike thing smacked of Pureblood nonsense. It made him rather uncomfortable and he didn’t like it.

“It is not a matter of if I am good enough ‘arry. With mothers, no one is ever really good enough for zeir children. When you become a parent you will discover zat. And Molly, she truly loves Bill and worries about ‘im, since ‘e is ‘er eldest. So I am ze interloper getting between ‘er and ‘er son. Zis zing, it will pass.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” Harry said, unsure if that was true or not.

“I am. And so is Bill. If anyone needs to ‘ave words with either zen Bill will be ze one to do it. Zey will see zat we truly love each other. Was zere anything else you wanted to talk about?” The smile Fleur gave Harry this time was more assured, which helped him to feel better.

“No… thank you for that. It gives me a lot to think on.”

Fleur canceled the privacy spells, “It was my pleasure ‘arry. You can talk to me anytime.”

A thoughtful Harry walked from the Burrow and into the small orchard the family had. There were so many things running through his brain now that it almost felt hot. Sitting down beside a tree he ran what Fleur had said over and over. He had to admit that what she had said did make him feel a bit surer about the crazy thoughts that damn mail from the goblins put in there. Okay, so, if he could actually do this and not get vilified by the wizarding public then maybe, just maybe he could ask one of them, both of them out on a date. The whole notion was crazy but if it would be allowed in the wizarding world then why not. Surely dating two beautiful women and being surrounded by love would seriously give old Tommy boy the finger. Now that was a lovely thought. You know… despite how crazy it all was, things were looking up

 


	18. Chapter 18

Chap 18

“Right you lot, don’t wander off too far and stay together,” chided Mrs. Weasley as the group moved past the brick entrance to the alley. “We’ll meet back here in a few hours.”

“Yes Mum,” dutifully replied Ginny and Ron. The others just nodded in response.

“Good.” She hefted the bag Harry had given her that had the combined money from himself, Luna, and Hermione. It should take care of all their supplies and possibly supplement the purchase of things for Ginny and Ron. They were okay with that and had tried to explain that to her. Whether she would listen or not was yet to be known.

Once his mother walked off and it was just the teenagers and Saunders, Ron said excitedly, “I want to go to Fortesque’s because I can.”

Hermione furrowed her brows, “It is a little early for ice cream Ronald.”

“But Hermione I can actually go in and buy the big super deluxe sundae,” whined Ron. “I’ve never been able to do that. Have you ever seen that thing? It’s huge.”

With a roll of her eyes, Hermione shook her head and said, “Fine. But do you mind if some of us go shopping? I’m not really interested in ice cream right now.”

“Sure, just don’t go into Quality Quidditch without me.” Ron was rather distracted as he said that, already gazing towards Fortesque’s with longing.

Harry had to keep from chuckling. A lot of the time Ron was good for a laugh. “No problem mate. Just don’t go crazy.”

Ron grinned happily, took his sister’s hand, and dragged her in the direction of the ice cream parlor. Ginny yelped and soon began berating her brother as they headed down the alley.

Harry, after watching them leave for a moment, turned to Hermione, “I take it you have a plan?”

She gave him a chiding look, as if he should have known better. “Of course. I wanted to go to Gringotts first to ensure we have sufficient money on hand and then hit several places before Flourish and Blotts.”

“Lead on.” Harry swept his arm towards the far end of the alley and the imposing walls of the bank, making as goofy a gesture that he could think of. He really had no issue with that plan as it worked for him. He got to spend time with both Hermione and Luna and Mrs. Weasley was not there to add her two pence worth. It was a really nice feeling to be basically alone with the girls he liked over the summer. Being alone with them would be much easier to manage back at school.

Luna took Hermione’s hand and somehow managed to skip in time to Hermione’s steps. Harry couldn’t help but smile. The fact that Hermione had gotten closer to Luna was a good thing because the short Ravenclaw was in need of good friends. If Hermione could get past the oddness in order to get close to her then anyone could. It would certainly ruin people’s excuses.

The trio plus bodyguard reached Gringotts shortly and walked through the armored doors. Harry had glanced again at the poem in front of the bank and it made him smile, reminding him of his first time here with Hagrid, back when he had just been introduced to the wizarding world. Looking for a clue from Hermione, he followed along as she didn’t head towards the tellers like the majority of the patrons but rather for one of the more senior Goblins farther down who were overseeing the regular business.

Hermione walked up to the desk, Luna hugging one arm and Harry close by her other side. She simply stood there and waited until the goblin finished entering something into a ledger. The goblin glanced up at her looking somewhat irritated at the interruption, “Yes human?”

“A profitable day to you, sir, I am Hermione Granger and I have need to speak with the manager of my accounts. Also Lord Potter here has a need to speak with the manager of his accounts as well.”

Harry looked at her, confused. This was the first he had heard about it. “I do?”

The look Hermione returned informed him that he needed to stop making problems for her. Abashed he turned back to the goblin and said, “Uh… yes I do.”

The goblin peered intently at the lot of them and Harry felt uncomfortable with how piercing the gaze was. This was not a happy individual and he could almost feel the danger radiating off him. He didn’t flinch however, as he had faced a lot of dangerous things in his time. With a slight snort, the goblin closed his ledger, saying, “Very well. A moment please.”

As the goblin turned in his seat and summoned a runner, Harry turned to Hermione and asked quietly, “What did you have in mind for me to do?”

She leaned in as well, speaking quickly and quietly, “Harry thanks to the books I got from Sirius, I learned that since you are the recognized Head of the Black family you are in effect emancipated with that one act. What that means is that if you push the point you will have full and complete access to your families’ vaults, not just the Black oe but the Potter as well. Just stand by that point and you will leave here double titled and having seen whatever your family might have left for you.”

Harry blinked in surprise. In all the thinking about what being Sirius’ heir meant, he had never thought of that. He was aware of a number of things due to his title and what Gringotts had given him to read but the concept that it would let him fully access the Potter Vaults was mind boggling. He could actually connect with his family? See the history that was his birthright? For real? With his chest growing tight, and eyes prickling some, Harry fought tears as he hugged Hermione with the intensity she usually hugged him. His chest shook a little, but he held on to his rampaging feelings. There was a slight pause of surprise when he did that and then Hermione hugged back.

Deciding that thanks to this joy he should take a chance, as he pulled back he kissed her on the cheek. It felt wonderful but Merlin, his heart was in his throat and he felt for certain he was going to die. How was she going to react? He had just kissed his best friend!

Hermione blushed some and lowered her head a smidge. He could make out what looked like a slight smile on her face, as she spoke to her hands. “Just so you know, Luna did help me with the research.”

Oh Merlin! Luna as well? Should he? Could he? Internally shaking and terrified that he might somehow upset whatever wild and chaotic magic was taking place now, Harry hugged Luna in the same manner as he had Hermione and then kissed her cheek as he withdrew. He glanced up nervously, eyes shifting between the two girls.

Luna beamed at him, happier than she had been earlier, and said with a good deal of amusement in her voice, “Careful Harry, you seem to be attracting Wrackspurts.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile. The girls seemed happy that he had done this and neither looked irate in the least. How had that happened? His head filled with warmth and fuzziness as the emotions rushed back in now that the nervousness had been replaced with wonder. He had hugged and kissed both of them and they hadn’t killed him?! How in the name of all that was holy did that happen? He was Harry Potter, not Merlin or some sort of good looking wizard or actor. He blinked owlishly at the girls, his mind still trying to make sense of the events, who giggled softly. A chuckle from behind him reminded him that there was another witness to all this… Saunders.

Fighting against the wave of embarrassment that tsunamied upon him, Harry just stood there, looking forward, and caught the look on the goblin’s face. The senior goblin looked a good bit amused at their antics before him but on his face it looked more fierce than anything else. Harry smiled at the goblin nervously, unsure if he had done something wrong.

The runner returned and spoke briefly to the senior goblin in gobbledygook the words running together jarringly to Harry’s ears. The senior goblin merely nodded and turned back to the teens, saying, “If you would follow Ulfrinc here, he will lead you to your respective managers.”

Hermione grinned, inclining her head slightly and said, “Thank you for your assistance with this matter Senior Teller. May your enemies fall like chaff before you and your faults overflow with their plundered gold.”

A surprised quirk of an eyebrow was the last image of that goblin as they followed Ulfrinc deeper into the bank. Once they were out of sight of the main floor, Harry asked with a gesture behind them, “Just how did you manage that?”

With a sigh of long suffering, Hermione looked his way and explained, “There was a book on goblin culture and etiquette in the Black family library. I saw the title and it intrigued me. Actually it was a very fast read and certainly put a different spin on the Goblin wars. But anyway… apparently one of the secrets of the Black family’s success was their treatment of the goblins. By being respectful of the goblins and especially their Vault Managers they were able to make deals other families weren’t able to. Apparently though it was only a main line thing, as not all of the Blacks seemed to have learned that knack.”

“Uhm… thanks.” He was a bit embarrassed by that. That was something he really should have thought of, being even more respectful of the Goblins. It had frankly never occurred to him. Hermione had once again saved his bacon. “I really do rely on you for so much.”

Hermione gave him a pleased smile and reached out to take his hand. Harry’s heartbeat started racing again. His hand… she was holding it! There the three of them were, walking hand in hand in the bank, in front of everybody. Merciful Merlin, did this mean that she liked him? Did that mean that Luna liked him as well? What about Luna? She seemed fine with it but was she? What did it mean?

“Miss Granger, your account manager is inside waiting for you. Lord Potter, if you will follow me.”

He looked back over his shoulder as he walked away, spotting both girls smiling and waving at him before he left their sight. In a way he was glad that Luna had stayed with Hermione as it gave him a chance to try to sort out things. His mind was a veritable whirl and it was dizzying, making it difficult to figure out what was going on. He entered the office indicated by his guide without much thought, his mind frozen in those moments, in those feelings, trying to make sense of them. His mind wasn’t really complying.

Behind the desk was a strong looking, scarred goblin. The clear signs of being battle hardened looked a touch odd in the almost Victorian garb the goblins seemed to favor. Rising to his feet and bowing his head in greeting the goblin said, “Lord Potter, a pleasure to meet you. I am Bloodroarer, the Potter family account manager.”

Harry shook his head slightly to clear the thoughts that were in the way and refocused on the talk at hand, “Thank you Bloodroarer. I am very pleased to meet you as well.”

With a nod of acknowledgement, the goblin cut his eyes over to Saunders, who was standing there quietly, as perfect a bodyguard as one could ever want. “Did you wish to discuss business with this audience?”

Harry thought quickly and realized the best approach he could take in this situation. “Sir, I am fairly certain that you are aware of the dangers I face, so you should understand why I feel it prudent to have a bodyguard.”

Nodding sagely, Bloodroarer said, “A wise plan Lord Potter. I support your choice in this manner. Now, how can I help you?”

Harry wracked his brains about what the plan was, as his thinking had gotten severely derailed and then he recalled what Hermione had said. “So, I wanted to ensure my emancipation was completely in order as well as to visit the Potter family vaults, if at all possible.”

“I see, very well Lord Potter. That can easily be managed. Now, there is some paperwork we need to complete first, such as signing that you are being recognized as the Head of House Potter and the like. Mere formalities.”

“Wait, wait… aren’t I the only Potter? If I’m the only Potter wouldn’t I just automatically have become the Head of House Potter? Also, wouldn’t that have come to me when I was first introduced to the wizarding world?” Harry was a bit confused as those issues came to the front of his head. They hadn’t been problematic before but now he was rather concerned.

The goblin leaned forward onto his desk, arms crossed, looking at the young man intently. “Honestly, yes, that is the normal and accepted way of doing these things but I was not made aware you were here or that you had visited, at any time. Part of that problem is due to bank policy and for that I am sorry. Unless you ask for an account manager there is little chance of you coming to our attention.”

Harry pondered that as he scanned the documents that had been placed before him. From what he could tell after having scanned them, there wasn’t anything odd in them or sequences he would need Hermione to unravel so all was probably good. Picking up the proffered pen, he signed, feeling the telltale itch of the blood quill on the back of his hand. The familiarity enabled him to write his name without flinching. He was swiftly done and set the pen down carefully. His account manager collected the papers, looked them over to ensure that everything that was needed was signed, and then put them aside. He stood and looked at Harry, “Now then Lord Potter, shall we?”

“Uhm… what?” This seemed like a change of direction and threw him a bit.

After giving what Harry was sure passed as the goblin version of a genial smile, Bloodroarer said with a gesture towards the door, “The Potter family vaults. Shall we?”

Harry was excited about this, wondering just what he would learn about his family during this trip. Finally, finally he would be able to make a real connection with his family, to the things his parents had collected, to finding out who his parents were more than just through pictures and occasional stories. They walked in silence through the stone halls towards the carts, his heart starting to race as his excitement grew. This was real. He would be able to really see what he could of the Potter family, the things of his mother and father. Fighting back tears, Harry settled back into the seat as the cart started forward.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Once Bloodroarer gestured in a rather specific manner, the door of the vault swung open slowly due to its weight and size. The door looked rather thick and probably could provide plenty of protection itself, without needing any sort of magical boost. Harry glanced around and noticed that the room was rather large, practically a cavern, with more than just gold in a pile, like there was in his trust vault. Given the way the torchlight was reflecting there were clearly more than a few gemstones of some type in there, catching the flickering light and sparkling. There was also furniture off to the side of the room as well as some books and such on the other. This confused him. Why would there be so many books? With a look of consternation he headed that way. Maybe he should take a few things?

There were books on all sorts of things, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Wizarding History, and more. In fact there were several crammed bookshelves worth. He ran his hand over the spines wondering if these were his parent’s or not, or if there were more in some sort of manor or such. Going off the notion that this could be his parent’s stuff, especially as he recognized a few specific titles from his own studies, he turned to face the goblin to ask, “Uhm… Bloodroarer?”

“Yes Lord Potter?”

“This furniture…?” His voice was tentative, unsure.

The goblin was quiet for a moment, looking a bit sad as he contemplated his answer, “Lord Potter, after your parent’s died and the Wizengamont decided to turn the house into a… monument of sorts, we goblins cleared the house of belongings, to ensure that nothing was taken by those who did not deserve them. Everything that was in the house at that time is here, either on these shelves, stacked on the other side of the room, or in storage trunks. This does not include the items at Potter Manor.”

Harry’s hand froze on the books, unsure what to do. He turned and looked closer at the titles, a chill going down his spine in realization. These actually were his parent’s things? These were his mother and father’s books? He was touching things they had touched? His voice choked a little as he asked, “These?”

“Yes Lord Potter.”

Looking closer he noted that there were a number of books on herbology both muggle and magical, for astronomy the same, his hand was on a primer for Runes, and he could spot several familiar textbooks scattered through the mix. There were even dictionaries there for Old English and Old Norse, which kind of made sense as they had used runes, hadn’t they? The books were well organized and he noticed that they were arranged by the author’s last name, like you would find at a muggle Library rather than the simple subject arrangement at Hogwarts. Harry had to wonder who had done that, though it seemed more like something his mother would do rather than his father from what he knew. His mother had done this, had put these books up on these shelves.

He turned from the books to the gaze at the collection of chairs, tables, a bed, end tables, coffee table, dressers, china cabinets, and then his breath caught, a highchair.

Everything stopped for a moment, and he swayed slightly as the world turned under him. With an unsteady gait, he moved slowly forward, fixated on that particular piece of furniture. There, there was something from his childhood, something physical, a direct connection to his life before the Dursleys. He touched the wooden tray softly, unsure what to think as he ran his hand over it. He felt fragile, close to breaking. This… this was too much. The wear he could see spoke of many meals, loving use, places where he had surely made a mess. He smiled slightly, part of his heart buoyed by this discovery. This wasn’t just some random furniture from some random relative, this was his history.

He lifted his hand and moved to turn when his eyes alighted on somethin else. The world jerked uncomfortably to a stop and he stared almost blankly at the crib that was at the back of the collection. The crib looked so classic, so typical of baby furniture that the differences stood out.

Looking over the crib itself, there was some damage to the slats along one side as well as slight burn marks from what he didn’t know. Well, maybe he did. This was it… the place where his life had irrevocably changed, where he had been stripped apart from his happy life. His trembling hand reached out and touched the wood on the corner reverently, reminded of the vague vision brought back to him by the dementors and Snape, of that time when he had stood on weak legs, holding the top rail as he did now, listening to his parents die, of his mother calling out followed by a flash of green. His hand trembled and he felt his stomach twist.

If… if this was where it had all happened, then perhaps those few broken slats that were there had been where his mother had fallen, giving her life in the vain hopes that Lord Voldemort would spare her child, sacrificing herself in the hopes for mercy. His fingers ran across them, barely noticing the splinter that pricked his finger, too numb to notice something like that. That’s when he spotted it. There, slightly down from the broken area was a slight stain of old blood, a reddish rust colored blemish on the white wood. Oh God!

Dropping to the ground, his knees buckling under him because he just couldn’t stand anymore, Harry laid his hand flat on the wood, new blood merging with old and started to cry, to bawl, to howl at the vast injustice that had left him to a life filled with endless chores, with beatings, starvation, a life devoid of the love he could imagine having filled his life if his parents had survived. Why? All this had set in motion the events that had trapped Sirius into Azkaban and then death. Why? Why had this happened? It was so fucking unfair. All this, all this pain just because of some damned prophecy muttered by a madwoman? Because a man too afraid to die needed to prove something, prove that he was what, a fucking joke because of his need to kill a child? What a goddamned coward! Cowardice and fear, pure and simple, had torn his life apart and dumped him to the ash heap.

His chest ached, his heart breaking under this pain, his throat sore from his grief, knees aching from dropping heavily onto the stone floor. This… all this proved the one thing he knew to be true. Pain… pain was the only truth in his life. He clutched the two stuffed animals and rocked, his howls of pain reduced to sobs and sniffles.

After an unknown time, arms encircled him, holding him as he wept powerfully, the love filled start to his life reduced to a collection of trunks, bookshelves, tables, and  a crib where he had slept peacefully until on one Halloween Fate had played the cruelest trick of all.

“Shhhh Harry, shhhh… we’ve got you.” The voice was familiar, warm, something to connect to; something to let him know that there was more than his grief.

“Yes Harry, you are not alone.” Another voice, this one softer, reached out to him, a pair of arms tightening.

Face raw with the tracks of tears, snot, burning eyes, Harry struggled to swallow the agony back and looked up. Blond and brown hair, curly and straight, two sets of arms. So very familiar.

“Shhhhh Harry, it’s okay. I know this hurts. Let it out.”

He nodded weakly, feeling almost as if someone had cut his strings, a deep exhaustion filling him.

The blond leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, gently, lovingly. “I know Harry. I know. I know what you are feeling. It… it hurt this bad when my mother…”

The voice had drifted away, consumed by its own memories of pain, but it was a connection, a link to something outside of this suffering. “It’s unfair. It’s not fair. What did they ever do to deserve this? What did I ever do?”

“Nothing Harry, nothing. You were a baby. Their friend sold them out and it was all out of their control. They were blameless in this.” Luna handed him a handkerchief with something embroidered on it, but tears so blurred his vision that he was unable to make it out. Harry took it, wiped his face, blew his nose, and held the slightly moist cloth in his hand, knowing there would be more need. With a shuddering breath he tried to calm himself. It wasn’t easy.

He moved to get up and the girls joined him, Hermione assisting him the last little bit once she got to her own feet. They hugged him and Harry got to look into the crib. Back in one corner were two stuffed animals, a light brown bear and a black dragon of a type he couldn’t quite identify. He moved closer, drawn to this. He laughed mirthlessly when realization struck, “You’re fucking kidding me.”

“Language,” chided Hermione.

“No Hermione look.” He pointed to the stuffed dragon that was sitting in the crib. It was clearly a Hungarian Horntail. The irony was not lost on him. He reached down and pulled it out, feeling it’s comforting plush. Something arose in him, not memories but more impressions of this doll being his favorite. He picked up the stuffed animals and hugged them tight, the smell awakening something inside him, vague memories of being sung to, of being hugged, of being loved. His arms tightened, moisture prickling his eyes.

“Are you alright Lord Potter?” asked Bloodroarer. “Your bodyguard said that these two ladies would be what you needed right now.

“No, I’m not but I will be,” stated Harry, hoping that was true. “And their being here was a great help. Thank you for allowing them enterance.”

“Was there anything you wanted to take?”

Harry cast his eyes about the room, all the wealth displayed before him. All of this, every vault, anything asked he would give for another moment with his parents but no gold could buy time and even time turners had limitations. With shaking hands he filled a bag with galleons, probably far more than he would need in all honesty. Casting his eyes across the trunks, the book shelves, he shook his head, “Not at the moment. I think I’m ready to go.”

He was sandwiched between the two girls on the ride back up, not worried about the close quarters as the contact felt good, felt right, felt like he was coming back to himself after that emotionally draining time in the Vault. Once they exited the cart, Harry shook Bloodroarer’s hand and said, “Thank you sir, thank you very much. Despite the grief, this really has meant the world to me.”

“It was my pleasure Lord Potter.” Bloodroarer gave a faint smile. “A current inventory will be forwarded to you in the next couple of days. One last thing before you go, I have your rings with me.”

Harry blinked, not following where this was going. “Rings?”

“Yes, the head of a house usually has a ring that symbolizes their right as Lord of that family, a sigil of their power. I have both the Black and Potter rings with me right now. It would be best if you wore them, as they are a clear sign of your status in this world but I understand if you have some measure of problem with that.”

Not wanting to deal with anything else emotional, Harry simply took the boxes with a nod, putting the box into one of his deeper pockets. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure Lord Potter.”

They walked out of the bank quietly, each clearly bound up in their own thoughts. Hermione’s voice was tentative as she offered up a suggestion, “Perhaps we should join Ron before he eats all the ice cream?”

Harry nodded, unable to think of any other thing to do, the girl’s and he headed in that direction. As they were walking he spotted Draco Malfoy heading towards Knockturn Alley, looking rather… ferrety. A welling up of the anger he had felt down in the vault prodded him. “Hey… there’s Draco heading down that way. Come on let’s go and find out what he is up to.”

The incredulous looks from the girls were nearly funny, but his desire for vengeance on those who had stolen his life burned in him. If the Ferret was up to something he wanted to know what it was. The girl’s nodded and Saunders said, “Well, Intelligence is a good thing so long as we are safe. Knockturn is very much a Dark area.”

The quartet followed along behind, trailing Draco as best they could, lingering just out of his sight, ducking away when he nervously looked over his shoulder. Seeing him enter a familiar storefront, Borgin and Burkes, Harry knew they needed to see what was going on as the blond git walked into the back room. “We need a better vantage point.”

Saunders gestured to the building next to them with the sloping roof. “I can boost you up and you can look down on him through the slat windows there.”

It was an awkward scramble up even with Saunders assistance and soon he, Hermione and Luna were looking down into the back room of the store. Once they scanned the area they spotted Draco standing there with the man who ran the store and they were looking at some sort of piece of furniture, a cabinet. What the hell was that about? But that was not all; Harry could see the hulking form of someone rather huge, looming behind Borgin threateningly. Draco pulled up his left sleeve and seemed to offer it up as some sort of proof of something. It was probably the Dark Mark, based on where it was placed. Borgin nodded, apprehension on his face, and opened the cabinet, apparently showing Draco something, talking fast.

With a glance at the two girls, the three of them made the way down, sliding slightly on the tiles. Saunders helped them get to the street easily, lifting the two girls down as Harry dropped to the ground. He looked at the girls and Saunders, “He’s up to something.”

“You always think that Harry,” rebuked Hermione.

He gave her a look, “Hermione, you saw what I saw. Draco bared his left arm. There is some reason that he was looking at that cabinet, meaning it is important somehow, and there was someone threatening Borgin. It surely isn’t because the blond ponce felt like it. That cabinet has to mean something.”

Saunders nudged them, pulling their attention. With a harsh whisper he said, “Hush. Operational Security. We will discuss this later.”

With a serious nod, understanding that this was a person who knew what he was talking about, the three of them followed the MI-5 agent out of Knockturn Alley and headed to Fortescue’s, most thoughts of shopping wiped away in the mystery behind them.

 


	20. Chapter 20

Chap 20

Saunders stood before all of them looking a touch more serious than normal. “Okay, I should have told you this before but I was focused on other things. Now however we are talking about it, Operational Security.”

“What?” asked Ron, looking confused.

“Operational Security or OpSec is the idea that you only talk about a given operation in a safe spot. And a safe space in this instance is a place where you cannot be overheard. You all have learned things that could be useful for the enemy to learn, so, given what I have heard about your last year, I figure that you have a basic understanding of the concept. It’s the notion that loose lips sink ships,” concluded Saunders.

Ron looked confused so Hermione said, “That means that if you talk in an unsecure place you can give information away to the enemy that they can use against you. Kind of like we avoided talking about the DA outside of the Room of Requirement. ”

Eyes widening a little as he caught on, Ron gave a nod and said, “Right I got that. That makes sense. So how can we have this OpeSex thing if Snape can use Legilemancy against us?”

“A very good question Mister Weasley. Legilemancy is the art of reading people’s minds. There are a number of people who are very skilled at the art. If you are really good you can use it in combat to give you a huge advantage as you will know what your opponent is doing before they cast. Voldemort is very skilled at that art. Now there is a counter to Legilemancy, so you can actually defend against this stuff. Occlumency is the practice of shielding your thoughts against attempts to read it. It takes a while for it to really sink in so today we are going to work on that as well as physical training. Occlumency will ensure OpSec at all times.”

Ron looked a bit worried, “Mr Saunders, will there be time for Quidditch? I really want to give my new broom a workout since I want to try out for the team.”

Sighing at the expected question from the expected person, Saunders said, “There should be. I have no intention of taking away what’s left of your holiday with training. I am just trying to ensure you will be as prepared as possible for any Deatheater encounters that may occur.”

Ron raised his hands and leaned backwards slightly, “No I get that. Really I do.” This last had been directed at Hermione. “Thanks, I just wanted to make sure we did something besides studying.”

“And what’s wrong with studying? Some of us _like_ to expand our minds!” snapped Hermione.

“Oi!” interrupted Harry, trying to shut off the argument that had been starting. If it had gotten going he was sure it would be a loud and long spat. “Now is not the time for that. Please.”

The two shifted, and Harry caught Ron out of the side of his eye mouthing ‘Sorry’ in the direction Hermione was sitting and her nodding in response. Saunders looked amused. “Well, now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to the occlumency training. Now the first step is to learn to clear your mind…”

Hours later, after another round of running and getting stupefyied, the lot of them were sitting under the trees, letting the sweet cool on their bodies, rubbing a couple of muscle aches. “Bloody hell, I will be glad to head to school.”

Harry snerked as Hermione chided him, “You really think that this will stop once we get there? This training is important.”

Groaning and dropping his head to his knees, Ron grumbled, “I know this is important Harry but it’s killing me. I’ve never worked this hard in my life.”

Hermione and Ginny snickered at that while Harry struggled to keep a straight face. That was a very true statement. After Ron glowered at all of them, Ginny chimed in, “Well, there is bound to be some benefit to all of this.”

Ron looked disbelievingly at her. Hermione rolled her eyes, and then added, “Honestly Ronald… there are a number of women who prefer their men to be fit rather than the general lack of fitness most wizards have.”

Ron blinked a few times, sorting that out in his head. Still trying to work that out he turned to his sister, “Hey Gin… you’re a girl.”

“Well spotted.”

Ignoring her he kept going, “Do you think that’s true?”

“Well, a lot of girls like Quidditch players and they are in better shape than most other wizards, so that’s probably true. I mean, remember how many girls were after Krum? He was very fit.” Ginny looked like she was trying to find some way to use this to tease Ron but was failing to come up with something. There was a slight pout as she looked irritated with herself. However at the end, her thoughts turned inward with a subtle smile.

“So what you are saying is that if I keep doing this exercising then maybe I can date someone. That would be great.” Ron looked very chuffed at that realization.

“You can always ask Ginny for dating advice Ronald,” stated Luna dryly, pointing out that his sister was already involved romantically.

Ron blushed red and glowered at the blonde and his sister. Ginny toppled over, laughing at the whole thing. Harry chuckled. This was what he had missed most while being stuck at the Dursleys, being able to interact with his friends and have fun. He needed more of this, as it also helped keep his mind of the loss of Sirius. Ron, in an attempt to shift focus off him, asked, “Well what about you then Harry? You gonna date anyone?”

On the spot and a little embarrassed by that, Harry stammered, “Uhm… well… yeah… I guess.”

Harry noticed that Luna and Hermione seemed to be very keen to hear what his answer would be, which only made his blush and stammer more, managing to get a feew sounds and syllables out. Ginny looked between the three of them and asked, “Come on… anyone we know Harry?”

“I… uh…” Was his face sunburnt? It was hot out here and his palms were simply sweating. He wiped them dry on his pants for all the good it did.

Ron laughed at his friends discomfort, missing the blushing from the three he wasn’t related to. Ginny however caught it and after a moment of thought was grinning like Crookshanks after he had gotten cream. She winked to Hermione and thwacked Ron on the arm. He protested loudly, “Oi!”

“Come on… I want to see what that broom of yours can do. Let’s see if it was worth all that money. Besides, if you want to make it onto the team you’ll have to practice some more. If you can stop me then you can probably stop most people.” She then thwacked him again before taking off running towards the shed where the brooms were kept.

As Ron chased Ginny to the brooms, Harry cut his eyes over to Hermione and Luna who were still standing there, cheeks still a little pink. They had been embarrassed? By what? He wanted to say something but this quiet moment they all shared was lovely and felt comfortable. Why would he want to disturb the peace with a question that he was scared to know the answer of? As he was summoning up the courage to say something, he caught Luna slipping her hand into Hermione’s and squeezing. That sort of derailed his thoughts. Had he completely missed something? Were those two dating? But then what about some of the comments, the looks? He knew that he had a tendency to miss important things at times but this was a bit overwhelming.

Hermione smiled at the blonde and looked at Harry. They both looked a bit eager. “So Harry, are you really interested in dating?”

Sitting up, figuring this conversation might need him to be more focused, Harry looked between them, still trying to assess things. “Well, that is… I would like to.”

With her usual mysteriously knowing smile, Luna asked, “Anyone we might know?”

When directly challenged on that issue he felt his tongue get all funny again. Why couldn’t he talk? “Uhm… well… you see…”

“Yes?” the both of them asked.

Harry looked at them sort of helplessly, floundering about trying to find the words he would need to say something. With a sigh of exasperation, Hermione came to Harry’s rescue, “Luna, if we keep this up all he is going to do is stammer at us. I’ve seen this before.”

Harry wasn’t sure if he needed to feel betrayed or relieved at his long time friend’s words. Had he really been this tongue tied before without a spell being involved?

Luna cocked her head and gazed unblinkingly at Harry, apparently measuring something, “I suppose you’re right. He does seem like he is rather stuck. I think the wrackspurts have really done a number on him. But if we’re going to become his girlfriends than isn’t it our right? You know… to make him confused and flustered.”

Gaping in utter surprise, Harry was a little like a fish on dry land as he tried to shape some sort of response. His mind was void of anything useful for this situation. All he could do is sit there confused and oddly elated.

Watching this calmly, Hermione asked, “Yes Harry… was there something you wanted to say?”

His mind went utterly blank and all the moisture from his mouth had apparently gone to his hands, forcing him to wipe them again on his pants. There were now wet spots on his thighs. Turning his head back and forth between them, Harry struggled to find words, any words.

With a slight pout that looked strangely enticing, Luna said, “I guess he’s not interested. And here I thought he would be an excellent boyfriend. Oh well. Will you still kiss me anyway Hermione?”

Harry’s eyes widened almost painfully as his shock deepened. What? Kiss? Hermione and Luna? Kissing? He had to shift uncomfortably as a part of him found that to be a perfect image.

“Well of course Luna,” answered Hermione with a shy smile. “But I did so hope that Harry would be able to join us.”

That was more stress than his mind could bear. He blurted out, “Wha? Hunh? Wha? Kiss? Me?”

The two girls looked at him curiously, before Luna commented, “I guess those were questions?”

“Could be? We should ask. Yes Harry?”

“You… us… me… kiss?” Words were stumbling out of his mouth uncontrollably and he wasn’t sure of their order. Why was talking so difficult all of a sudden? He usually was able to talk no matter what. Bloody hell, he had been able to talk to Voldemort and Malfoy with no fear, so why was this so difficult? And why had all his blood rushed southward? It was uncomfortable.

Hermione snickered, apparently taking some mercy on him. “Yes Harry, if you date us we will let you kiss us. It’s true. And just so you know, Luna is a rather cuddly little kisser.”

The image that provided was too much for Harry to deal with and his eyes glazed over, mind stalled out on a particular visual. The whole image of Luna and Hermione all cuddled onto her bed, kissing with slow passion burned through his brain destroying all that opposed it.

Luna leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek. Hermione followed suit on the other side and then they sat back to watch what happened.

Harry blinked a few times as that registered. He brought his hands up to touch where the lips had met his face, amazed that it had actually happened. He had been kissed, and while it hadn’t been on his lips, it had been something. And from two girls he was interested in, had thought about… a lot. Did this mean? It had to have. What else could be going on? But he… Hermione… Luna… really? His dreams and worries were warring in his head, trying to establish dominance. Were they really interested in him? Was this for real and not a dream?

Having watched his face and knowing him well enough to follow along with his thought process, Hermione began explaining, “No Harry, this is not a joke. This is really an attempt from the two of us to date you. Early in the summer, Luna explained to me that because you have two titles of two Ancient and Noble houses as the Head of House that being with two women is technically allowed. It is socially acceptable if it fits certain conditions and this totally does. She went on to let me know that you were interested in the both of us but had no idea how to go about asking about any of this. This would bring you to an impasse, where you might be too conflicted to decide. She further went on to suggest that since we were both interested in you and not The-Boy-Who-Lived, that staking our claims now before any of the girls at school could take action that it would be in the best interest of all of us. You would be with two girls you were interested in and we would be with you. She then gave me a few books that dealt with well… polyamorous relationships like this would be. We discussed the practicalities of this, trying to make sure this would work before we broached the subject. There were even a few… demonstrations of why this might be able to work between the three of us, such as convincing me that kissing girls is fun. That fact would help ensure domestic tranquility between the three of us. Are you following?”

Harry nodded slowly, sure this was some sort of trick and yet absolutely terrified that it wasn’t. He had thought about it but figured that it was an impossibility.

“So… I guess this is us asking if you might actually be interested in both of us that way? That you would want to date us?” Hermione blushed as she finished, looking at the ground. The girls then sat there quietly, awaiting a response.

He blinked his eyes a few times as he brain slammed into gear. “Bloody Hell!”

“Language!”

“Sorry Hermione but you’re joking right?” Harry looked hopeful and afraid.

Luna bounced slightly and replied, “Nope.”

“You mean you both… you and Luna, the two of you are actually interested in… me?” Harry was praying it was true. Please let it be true!

“Yes Harry… that’s what I just said.” Hermione replied with some irritation.

He was aware that his refusal to get it was grating on her nerves but he was at a loss. “That’s… that’s…”

Luna chimed in, “Mental? Yeah, we know but what in your life isn’t? I mean, what’s the problem? Do you have an infestation of something worse than wrackspurts? Why… didn’t you want to kiss us?”

Hermione groaned softly at the way Luna had approached things as Harry’s brain seized up again. His eyes were a touch glazed and there was a bit of a grin forming. “Kiss… you…”

With a huff, Hermione said, “Yes Harry. If you are dating us then kissing us would sort of be expected.”

“Really?” Harry blushed as he voice was suddenly far more squeaky than he had wanted. It made him flinch.

“Really. We would insist. So… are you interested?” asked Luna.

“Hell yes!” blurted Harry. There was no way that he was going to pass this chance up if he could avoid it. Being able to date Hermione and Luna, two girls he had already connected to and not have to worry about the damn awkward silences that he had when dating Cho. This was brilliant!

Sensing her moment, Luna cried out, “Dibs!” before leaning forward and kissing Harry on the lips.

“Luna! No fair! We talked about this,” protested Hermione before leaning in to press her lips against his.

This was better than anything else he had ever had. Harry wasn’t sure what was going on or where it was going but like hell he was going to complain.

 


	21. Chapter 21

Chap 21

The first of September was always a crazy day at King’s Cross Station, with all the kids and families rushing about, tearful goodbyes, all sorts of posturing between the wealthy and powerful, and such. It was a maelstrom of action that made it impossible to find any semblance of order anywhere in the mess. Into this lunacy stormed the Weasleys, Hermione, Luna, and Harry, toting trumks and animals. As usual, Mrs. Weasley had put off leaving until the very end, mostly due to her fussing over them all and trying to make sure they had everything for the fifth time. When they all stumbled and spilled out of the Floo enterance what stood out to Harry was that she hadn’t gotten confused about the platform number in the least, needing to ask about it or anything. Just a handful of Floo powder and away they went. Harry had sort of got it into his mind that she was a bit of a ditz due to their meeting back in first year but now that he thought of it, he hadn’t seen any other indications of that sort since then. They had always made it to the train easily and on time. Was there a reason for that?

Shaking his head in annoyance, Harry realized that maybe he was getting overly paranoid if he was suspecting Mrs. Weasley of some sort of duplicity. Moody the Younger they would surely call him if this kept up but it was an interesting thing to note. Should he ask about it or maybe talk to Hermione and see what she made of it? That sounded like the better idea to him. Even if it was a setup, had anything all that bad come of it? He had met the twins and Ron all thanks to that encounter and neither was a bad thing. The twins were great friends who had almost always supported him and Ron… Ron was his best mate in a perpetual tie with Hermione in his heart. Sure Ron was a prat now and again but he could also honestly say that was true about himself. So… was it bad? All he could really think of was that Ron helped solidify his opinion of Malfoy, leading him to spurn his offer of friendship and to beg the Hat to keep him from Slytherin.

Hell, now that he was thinking all conspiracy theory like just as the ex-Auror or Luna’s father did, then clearly it was a way for Dumbledore to help him make connections to the wizarding world and direct him away from certain others. For all the nuisance the Weasley family was off and on, they were indeed good people at their very core. So, if that was indeed the case that Dumbledore had set him up way back at the very beginning at least it was benign. No less annoying now that it occurred to him and actually pretty much par for the course with the Headmaster but honestly nice. The Weasleys had helped make his stay at the Dursleys over the summer hols far easier to bear, letting him join their family for a few months. No… this was something he needed to talk out just to help create some peace of mind and see how Ron and Ginny reacted. If nothing else it could prove amusing. What would they think of this supposed manipulation?

The group of them all helped each other get their trunks onto the train and moved as one to hunt down an empty compartment. After moving through on car they found Neville sitting alone and reading however he was apparently waiting for them as he beamed happily and waved them in. “Hey Nev.”

“Hey Harry. Good summer?” Neville did seem to be in good spirits, which was not usual for the trip back to Hogwarts.

Harry felt his mood dip as he realized that Sirius had died and he had nearly killed all of his friends here. With some effort Harry sort of smiled in response. “Uh… well… it got better.”

Neville had a look of realization on his face and looked aghast as he said, “Oh… right. Uhm… oh I got a new wand.”

Hermione looked pleased for him and also glad that the topic had been moved away from the pain that had started everything. “That’s wonderful Neville. I am sure that will help your magic a great deal.”

“Thanks Hermione. The reaction from the wand at Ollivanders was pretty spectacular. Uh… don’t take this the wrong way but why are you all wearing hats and who is this guy?”

Harry chuckled. Those were fair points actually and it wasn’t like he hadn’t planned on telling Neville about everything. “Right, sorry about that.” He stood and dug in his trunk briefly before turning and holding a few things out. “Here’s your hat and wand holster. I got some for all the members of the DA. The hat is something the twins invented that they call a shield hat. According to them it stops low level spells, though I haven’t tested it. I figured that could wait until we were back at school. The wand holster is to help you get your wand out faster in case of an emergency. It takes some practice but you can get it.”

“Wand holsters? Shield hats?” Neville continued to look confused as the answer was not very clear all things considered.

“Yeah, and this gentleman here is Saunders. He’s my body guard that Madam Bones offered me and I hope to have his help in DA this year.” Harry beamed at the end, sticking with the primary cover that Saunders had.

Neville looked unsure of what his response should be to all of that so he just smiled nervously, nodding politely to the bodyguard. Once the trunks were stored, and everyone had taken a seat, Ginny smiled at them and said, “I’m gonna go look for Dean. I haven’t seen him all summer.”

Ron frowned at that but said nothing. Apparently he could be taught after Ginny slipped him one of the twins surprise candies the last time he had ranted about his baby sister dating, since hexing her brother had been out. Saunders smiled, as he shifted to let her by and said to those left, “I’ll be out here watching the door unless you think that one of your friends here might go after you.”

With a smirk, Harry cut his eyes over to Luna, who was helping to bracket him with Hermione. “Well, there is always Luna. She’s vicious.”

The blonde in question narrowed her eyes, growled a few times, swiping clawed hands through the air before poking Harry in the side hard enough to make him yelp in surprise. Saunders snickered, “I already have my eyes on her, Mr. Potter. She’s clearly a troublemaker.”

“And don’t you forget it Sassy.” Luna shifted so that she sat primly, which made Hermione hide a grin.

Saunders shook his head and rolled his eyes before shutting the door. Neville looked at the others who were laughing quietly at this exchange. “What? Sassy? I’m missing something aren’t I?”

Harry beamed, tickled by his blonde girlfriend’s antics. “You are but we’ll tell you later. This area isn’t secure so we shouldn’t talk about anything important.”

This seemed to confuse Neville even more so he just nodded his head as if he understood everything. “Secure.”

Ron shook his head. His disdain for this way of doing things was already well known. “Harry will explain it. It’s a muggle thing.”

Hermione frowned, lips pursed in irritation. “Ron, even wizards believe in security and secrecy.”

Ron rolled his eyes, despite knowing that it would irritate her, “Yeah but a place not being secure… that’s all muggle.”

“Really?” asked Luna, leaning forward. “So members of the Wizengamot talk business in Diagon Alley?”

“Well no,” conceded Ron after some thought.

“And aurors… they just discuss a case anywhere?” continued Luna, pressing her point home.

“No.”

“But it’s a muggle thing?” Her question seemed to have the desired thought as Ron grew thoughtful.

“Fine. It’s not just a muggle thing.” Ron raised his hands in frustration. With a slight huff he declared, “Honestly, you’re just as bad as Hermione.”

“Thank you.” Luna smiled and adjusted her seat, sitting primly, as if she were a perfect angel who could do no wrong. This caused Hermione to laugh.

Ron gave her a look of betrayal at her snickers, which only extended them. With a roll of his eyes Harry jumped in before things got bad. Hermione and Ron would spat over the least little thing and that was not something he wanted to listen to for the next half-hour or so. “In the next few days we need to get the DA people together and talk, so we can explain how things have changed. Also, we need to talk about Marietta, all of us. I get that it was needed, and that the punishment fits the crime but it’s not like she wasn’t coerced into things. Umbridge threatened her family so I have to give her that one.”

Hermione looked abashed. “I’m sorry Harry. I just wanted to ensure that if we had one leak that there would be no others. Maybe I went a bit far.”

“We can talk about that later at the meeting. I figure everyone is allowed to have a say on this topic. Maybe you can send something out with the coins? And we need to get message to Marietta as well, probably through Cho.” Harry just wanted all of last year to be behind them and forgotten. Letting Marietta know there were no hard feelings was a major first step towards that.

“Sure Harry that should be easy.”

“Are we going to keep doing the physical exercise?” Even from the way Ron asked the question, Harry could tell that he already knew the answer.

Before he could answer Luna chimed in, “Well we have to if we want to be Sassy. Don’t you want to be Sassy Ron?”

The door slid opened and Saunders leaned in, stating, “That’s SAS Miss Lovegood.”

The young woman in question giggled as the door was slid closed. Hermione joined in and Harry and Ron just shook their heads in acceptance. It was Luna, what were they going to be able to do?

By this point Neville looked about as confused as Harry had ever seen him. Taking pity on his friend, he clasped him on the shoulder, saying comfortingly, “Relax Neville, it’s not that bad. It can be kind of fun and the women love it.”

While Neville blushed a bright red, Hermione dryly stated, “Oh yes, take me, take me now Harry, you stud.”

This time it was Harry doing the blushing with the others laughing. The fact that Hermione had cracked a joke like that was a change from her usual attempts at humor. Luna was clearly a good influence on her and despite his embarrassment he was glad that the two had grown closer. For that and other reasons as well.

A while later, after the trolley lady had come by and they all picked up some snacks, Harry looked a bit confused, casting his eyes about the hallway. “Hey… has anyone seen Draco so far this trip?”

Everyone indicated that they hadn’t, Hermione asking, “Why?”

“Well…” Harry wasn’t exactly what his issue was here but it was niggling at the back of his brain. “He’s late.”

“Late?” One of Hermione’s eyebrows went up and he realized that he had to make his explanation good. When she got like this he knew that he had to make sure that he wasn’t just blathering else he would never hear the end of it.

“Well, yeah. Usually by this time in the trip Draco and his bookends come by and hassle us, saying how pathetic we are and how his father blah blah blah. He hasn’t done it so far this year and I don’t think Saunders had to deal with him either. So, you know, this is a bit out of character for Draco. Don’t you think that’s kind of odd?”

It was clear that Hermione was about to remark in the negative but then she stopped and looked thoughtful. At this point Harry knew she would be putting all sorts of data together to come up with an answer. She always was able to, no matter how confusing he was. She glanced briefly at Ron who just shrugged and then to Luna who nodded. With a purse of her lips, she said, “I guess it is. I think there might be something to that so we should talk about it at the meeting. We can talk later and try to come up with a way to take notes on things like this without it being too obvious. I guess we can always use the classics and go with lemon juice or baking soda to write with. That should work and it’s not a method wizards usually would think of.”

“Hunh?” Neville was once again not following though in this he was joined with Ron.

“Lemon juice can be used to write a message on paper and it would be invisible, unless read in the right manner, same with baking soda,” explained Hermione, having apparently expected this reaction.

Ron looked shocked, “Wait… muggles can write invisibly? Really?”

Rolling her eyes in annoyance at her information being doubted, Hermione looked at him and answered, “Yes Ron. This technique is over a few hundred years old and is easy to do.”

It was odd in the extreme but Ron looked impressed. “That’s… wow.”

Hermione seemed a bit startled that Ron was actually impressed with something muggle. It showed in her voice when she added, “It can also be done with milk but it takes longer to see the message.”

“And it can make them tastier as well.” Luna jumped into the conversation happily.

“Luna!”

“Well you have to admit that lemon flavored paper sounds like it would be nice. I bet termites would love that or even the husselpfutters.” Luna explained, more than happy to clarify her point.

Hermione sighed and rubbed that spot on the bridge of the nose that was reserved for Luna. “Termites don’t eat paper.”

This surprised the Ravenclaw and she protested, “But it’s made of wood.”

“Well, yes that’s true but they prefer actual wood to processed pulp.” Hermione was trying to explain it without getting snarky or condescending. Ron seemed impressed.

“Wait… you mean like how real chicken tastes better than those nugget things?” This lost Ron and Neville though it get start Harry chuckling.

Hermione looked like she wasn’t following and then understanding blossomed in her eyes, “Yes, just like that. That’s why they prefer wood to paper.”

This time more than Neville couldn’t make sense of things. Harry tried to get things back on track once he was able to reign in his mirth, “Anyway, so we need to keep up our conditioning exercises, get a DA meeting set up, and try to figure out what to do from there. I can’t think of anything else. Good?”

“Yes Harry you are but there is no point in rubbing our noses in it.” Hermione sounded exhasperated as she said this.

Harry groaned as the rest of the compartment descended into laughter.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Chap 22

The ride up to the castle was initially pretty quiet before Harry broke the silence, “Uhm… did anyone else think that Draco was acting… odd?”

People turned to face him, wondering why this was coming up again. Ginny asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, when he did come by Draco just walked by the compartment, barely even glancing in. What’s more is that he didn’t have his bookends. That was rather unusual from other years. So for the first time on the train either heading there or not he didn’t come in to bother us. Does nobody else find that a bit out of character for him?”

Ron actually looked a bit shocked by that, having not thought about it at all. Hermione looked curious and then thoughtful. “You know, now that you mention it, he did look rather distracted at the Prefect meeting. Clearly something is weighing on his thoughts.”

Harry nodded as if he had been expecting that. He knew in cases like this the others would defer to Hermione’s knowledge because it was usually right. Even he did that more often than not. “Makes sense. I think that something big happened to him over the summer, hence his being in Knockturn Alley with Greyback. I think he probably met Voldemort and might be marked. So the only thing I can think of that would have him so… disturbed, is that he is up to something.”

With a slight groan, Hermione gave him a look before she replied, “Harry, just because he is acting out of normal doesn’t mean that Draco is up to something.”

Everyone in the carriage stared at her in disbelief and then she groaned, “Yeah… he’s up to something.”

Luna snickered and only laughed aloud when Hermione shot her a look that did nothing to quiet her. Hugging Hermione just brought Luna closer. Harry just shook his head, sort of amused with the whole mess. “So any ideas about what he’s up to?”

The compartment was quiet as people thought, the wheels clacking against the road to the school the only sound. Luna shrugged, saying, “It has to do with that cabinet he was looking at in Borgin and Burkes.”

“Well, yeah, but what’s he gonna do with it? I mean I doubt the big evil master plan is that he is going to fold his laundry and put it away,” snarked Ron.

Everyone stopped and looked at Ron in some surprise. He looked back at them in confusion and asked, “What?”

Harry turned to Hermione and Luna, concern writ on his features. “I may be out of my mind to even think this… but do you think there is a way for one piece of furniture to be connected to another? I mean, in all honesty like Draco would fold his own clothes. The strain would kill him. Maybe there is a way where someone else can fold his stuff and he opens a cabinet and there it is. I mean, besides the school’s house elves.”

Hermione’s eyes widened, her thinking moving at full speed. “And if that cabinet can do that with clothes, there really is no reason it can’t do it with people, like a point to point teleporter. Then that could mean… oh crap…”

“Language!” Luna, Harry, and Ron all chided her at once, which helped lightened the mood. Hermione only glowered at them in mock fury.

Harry was a bit unsure because Hermione hadn’t filled in the rest of the picture, but he did have enough to make a start of things. “Right. So that’s something to look into, teleporting cabinets. So what we really need to do is keep our eyes open for a similar piece of furniture?”

Luna nodded, “Yes, because of the rule of correspondence.”

Hermione grinned as it was clear more pieces fell into place and hugged Luna tightly, “You’re brilliant!”

The others just stared at them, unused to seeing those two having this sort of relationship or friendship before, until Hermione blushed and explained, “The Rule of correspondence imply states that like is like. It is one of the foundational rules of spell construction. What it can mean is that if there is an exact twin of that cabinet, made with wood from the same tree, what gets placed in one appears in the other, provided you have the correct runes inscribed because to the magic they are the same thing.”

With slow nods of comprehension, the others looked thoughtful. Harry then frowned as the reality of that hit home. “Wait… so because of this rule we basically have to search the whole of Hogwarts for a cabinet, because it can be a way part the wards?”

“Mate, that doesn’t seem likely,” replied Ron, still trying to work out how Draco’s laundry lead to this.

“Great, so we have an idea and no clue how to figure out if it is true or not? Is that where we are?” complained Ginny.

“Well, maybe not at the moment but if we keep our eyes open we might be able to figure something out. There are books I need to reference,” answered Hermione.

“Okay… but until then what should we do?” asked Ginny.

“The only thing you can do when you have no clear mission. Train, train hard and to be ready for anything you could face. The only way to survive war is to be a stronger warrior than the others,” stated Saunders. “And if we can make the differing fighting styles work together then we can have a better chance.”

Harry nodded, his thoughts having already gone there. “That’s right, we train. Instead of just coasting through the year, we get the DA back together, see if we can get a few more people in, work hard, and figure out what we can in fighting. I want us all able to deal with the next round of Deatheaters or what have you that get thrown at us, because until Volde is dead there will always be new rounds.”

Nodding soberly, the others seemed filled with new focus. Hermione glanced out the window and pointed out, “We should be there soon.”

“Great. I’m already hungry.”

“Ron, you’re always hungry,” teased Harry, which garnered a few laughs.

When the carriage pulled up to the entrance and everyone started to head off, Harry stopped Luna and whispered, “Look, I know it’s your life but if you have any more issues with bullying from your Housemates, let Hermione and I know. We care about you and don’t want to see you inconvenienced like that.”

Luna looked like she was going to argue the point but then her gaze softened in concession, “Very well Harry. If it will make you two happy.”

He gave her a quick hug and they headed off towards the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. Hermione also hugged the blonde tightly before they split off towards their House tables. Hermione sat close to Harry, with Ron across from them as usual, looking wistfully towards the Ravenclaw table. Harry could understand. The two girls had spent most of the summer together. The Hat’s song was rather interesting, again talking about needing to pull together in order to make it through the dark times. Harry sort of stared at the Sorting, a rough time equating their small size to himself. Had he ever been that small?

Soon enough, food was served, the platters filling magically, and they all dug in. Ron was doing his usual job of consuming everything within his reach, but Harry was trying to eat healthier, wanting to get into better shape overall. There were a lot of things in the books he had read and fixing his diet was one of them. Besides, by doing that he was able to keep his limbs safe as Ron rarely went for the vegetables. It was amusing. Ron was turning out tall and lanky like most every Weasley male he had met, and so had quite a reach. With what he ate, he just kept growing taller and never really filling out, which was kind of funny really. Well, Bill had been filling out the last time he had seen him and Mr. Weasley wasn’t exactly svelte either. Maybe it was a factor of being past puberty? He knew he was hungry all the time as well and did tend to grow more during the school year when he had food rather than over the summers when his relatives kept him on short rations. He really had no idea but maybe that was the cause of his slightly shorter height.

Of course, if he wanted to know he was sure all he had to do was talk to Hermione who would explain to him more than he ever wanted to know on the subject. She was awesome and all, but there were times when he had no idea how to deal with her. Watching her get lost in her maze of knowledge was kind of nice and he usually just sat there and stared. Of course Luna seemed to deal with her just fine but then again she was a Ravenclaw for a reason. It was like their minds thought similarly. The whole thing made his head spin and not just the way they thought. Luna and Hermione. Wow. Who would ever have thought that such a thing would happen? He wasn’t sure what to think about that in all honesty. Based on everything they had explained to him he could kind of make sense of it but not all. Well, part of him was sure, and he shifted uncomfortably, trying to make subtle adjustments to the now tighter areas of his clothes. That was probably the only area where Dudley’s clothes were superior, in that no one would have been able to see any sign of his arousal.

And what made the whole situation crazier was that if he took them at their word they both honestly wanted to be with him. It was dizzying. He had no clue why anyone would want to be with him like that because he was pretty bumbling when it came to women but there was no denying that the two girls were rather interested in a relationship with him. That thought brought a smile to his face. He was wanted. Not by one person but two. That thought did funny things in his chest and made him smile. He had kissed Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood several times already and it was more than he had ever thought it could be. If he was lucky it would happen several times more. Same with watching them kiss each other. Wow…

There was sure to be words from the usual Slytherins, some degree of disparaging remarks or other. In fact the three of them had placed bets on how Draco would address the matter. But given that the blond haired ferret seemed more introspective and less haughty than before, maybe the matter wouldn’t be brought up. If ever there was a way to become sure that Draco was up to something, that would certainly be it. He scoffed and shook his head. Maybe he was becoming a bit obsessed with him?

Hermione leaned in and asked quietly, “What?”

“Nothing. Well… maybe. I was just wondering what sorts of things are going through Draco’s head right now. I mean he looks distracted and worried. Not a good look for him.”

Hermione surreptitiously glanced towards the Slytherin table and noted the look on Draco’s face. The boy was frowning at his plate rather than the rest of the school. She also caught that Pansy was not sitting next to him as had been usual in the last few years. Something had changed with his situation alright but nothing came to mind. “You’re right. Draco doesn’t look too good. Something major has to be bothering him.”

“You think maybe he is discovering that being a Deatheater is not as glamorous as he thought it would be?” whispered Harry, trying to ensure that the conversation was not overheard.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Hermione nodded slightly. Yes, that could make sense of these facts. “There could be some truth to that. Draco seems so sold on the idea of his own superiority that the notion of serving anyone might not be sitting well with him.”

Before they could get deeper into this topic, the desert plates cleared and Dumbledore walked up to the lectern. “Hello everyone and welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I am sure by now all of you are aware that a darkness has returned to our world, with the sighting of Lord Voldemort. There is more danger in our world now than there had been. It is now more than ever that we must all pull together to strive for the Light and keep each other safe. I am sure we all can reach a hand out to our fellow students no matter the House and build upon the school unity the Sorting Hat so wonderfully sang about. We must all unite under her walls else we should surely fall.”

There was little response to that as people shifted and looked awkwardly at each other. Yes, school unity would be a good thing but disliking Slytherin was practically a way of life. “I would also like to announce a new hiring and a change of position for a member of our staff. My dear friend, Horace Slughorn, has agreed to return to teach here at Hogwarts and retake his position as Potions instructor. Let’s give him a warm welcome.”

Noting that there were no more new faces at the Head table, Harry and Hermione shared a worried look. If there was a new Potions instructor then what was Snape going to teach?  “This does mean that our very own Severus Snape has taken over the job as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is very skilled and should make an excellent professor for that topic. Let’s give him a round of applause.”

Slytherin cheered and applauded at this news and there were a few other scattered bits of clapping through the Great Hall but on the whole the rest of the room sat stunned, staring at the High Table in disbelief. Several faces turned to Harry in question and he gave a slight nod in acknowledgement, eyes narrowing in time with his frown. His favorite class had been taken over by his least favorite teacher? Oh hell no!

 


	23. Chapter 23

Chap 23

Head still reeling from that revelation, Harry just wanted to get out of there and hide in the Common Room for a bit. With a sigh he leaned forward and put his hands on the table to help him stand. Before he had a chance to get to his feet, Professor McGonnagall was there, “Lord Potter, if you would come with me.”

He shared a worried look with Luna and Hermione before finishing standing. In his experience things that started out like that never really ended well for him. He hadn’t gotten very far when he realized the girls had gotten up with him and were following along, bracketing him on either side. This made him smile happily. Maybe with them along it wouldn’t be as bad as it usually was. One could always hope.

Professor McGonnagall didn’t look back as she walked along, sure that she would be followed. Saunders peeled off the back wall and joined in the procession, keeping his eyes on any possible routes of trouble. While walking along with Hermione and Luna was generally pleasant, Harry was wondering what was going on and that had him distracted. This was fairly strange as he rarely got into trouble this early in the term. He hadn’t had a chance to do anything yet. When they reached her office, Professor McGonnagall turned to let Harry in first, raising an eyebrow at his entourage.

Shrugging, indicating there was nothing he could do, McGonnagall rolled her eyes and waved them all in. She was a little too used to the strangeness that Harry brought with him. She walked around her desk and took her seat, gesturing to the wooden chairs for the others. Once everyone was seated, she started, “Lord Potter, since you have come into your inheritance both as Lord Potter but also Black, there have been a number of changes. As a recognized Lord, new quarters have been set aside for you.”

“What?” Harry was rather shocked at this.

“You are the Head of two Ancient and Noble Houses, as such the Hogwarts charter makes certain accommodations to such individuals. This is due to your being considered an adult and the fact that you may have other obligations in your role besides staying in classes.”

Harry thought he was following what she was saying but wasn’t exactly sure. Turning to Hermione he asked for clarification with a look.

With an eye roll of her own, Hermione said, “Because of your elevation to Head of House, which generally isn’t something that occurs while a person is in school, the school is obligated to provide you with different quarters and I guess a few other considerations as well?”

That last had been directed towards Professor McGonnagall, who nodded. “That is correct Miss Granger. It is nice to see someone has read from the library. You do indeed get your own lodging, set off from the others. There are a number of Lords and Ladies suites attached to each House here at Hogwarts for just this possibility. When you took up your Lordship you were then offered the option of having such rooms. Is that to your liking?”

“You mean is it okay to get away from Ron’s snoring? Absolutely.” Harry looked rather pleased at the ability to sleep without being awoken thanks to his friend’s nocturnal racket. “I think that is positively brilliant.”

Professor McGonnagall seemed to have expected that response, her head inclining slightly. “Very well. I already had one set aside, having anticipated that response. Now there are other considerations for you to keep in mind.”

This was where it could bad. He cautiously asked, “Like what?”

“Due to your being considered an adult by Law, you are allowed to have co-ed visitations in your suites unsupervised. While that is irregular, I would request that you endeavor to be circumspect with such visits when they occur.” She seemed patently uncomfortable with such a statement, though she did direct her gaze towards the two ladies who had accompanied him knowingly. Both girls blushed at the implication which seemed to satisfy her, making her smile slightly. “Just to let you know, there is an entrance to your suite that connects to the outside of Gryffindor as well as one that connects you to the Common Room. That combined with the fact that you are no longer bound by the curfew is something I am concerned about. I am aware of your… nocturnal wanderings and would prefer if you reined them in a bit more. If nothing else it would keep too many misunderstandings from occurring between you and certain other Professors.”

Knowing full well which one in particular was being referenced, he gave a quick, “Yes Professor.”

“Good. Thank you for that Lord Potter. Now there is also a Floo link there but only for communication. If you need to go somewhere off campus, you will need to ask to use my connection or the get permission to head down to Hogsmeade.”

Harry looked surprised. There was no way to imagine the possibility that he could actually leave the school whenever he wanted. With a wide grin he said, “No problem Professor.”

With a nod, she rose and said, “Would you like to see your suite now Lord Potter?”

“Yes please and Professor… please call me Harry. The whole Lord Potter thing is still uncomfortable and having you call me that just seems wrong.”

She smiled at him, “Very well Harry. Unless there is a need to use your rank I will call you by name. Shall we?”

The five of them trooped up the several flights of stairs to Gryffindor Tower. While various students straggled into the Common Room past the Fat Lady, Professor McGonnagall led them down the hall just a bit to a painting that Harry recalled was blank. It wasn’t that way any longer. Sir Cadogan was trying to engage a Nundu in combat, though the large beast just sat there seemingly asleep. “Have at you varlet!”

“Sir Cadogan!” snapped Professor McGonnagall.

The knight paused in his assault and turned, “Yes madam? How may I be of assistance?”

“Please leave the guardian alone.”

“That’s the guardian?” blurted Hermione and Harry, unsure if it was the Nundu or Sir Cadogan who was the guardian in question.

Luna just smiled and said excitedly, “Hello Aloysius.”

The Nundu cracked a baleful eye open and looked out of the painting before raising its head. He looked right at the blond and said, “Ah… Miss Luna, how are you?”

“Just fine Aloysius. I had a really interesting summer and have made even better friends. It’s good to see you again.” Luna was rather excited and spoke animatedly.

The others were staring at Luna in disbelief, surprised that she knew a Nundu, even if only a painted one. Saunders was the only exception, who was scanning around them, doing his job with a slight smirk on his face. Professor McGonnagall asked, “You know him then?”

“Oh yes. We have talked for years. We met first year during one of the nights I walked about.”

Pursing her lips slightly she nodded and turned back to the painting of the Nundu, “Yes, well. Aloysius this is Lord Potter and that gentleman there is his bodyguard, this suite has been opened for them.”

The Nundu looked them both over with a bit more interest than before and then nodded, “Very well.”

The painting swung open to reveal a short flight of stairs upward that opened into a room. Professor McGonnagall led the way up and into a rather nice room that looked all the world like the Common Room only smaller and with nicer furniture. The fire burned merrily and looked inviting. “This is your living room. The main bedroom is through the door to the left of the bookcase. It has an ensuite. The one to the right is a guest room. They do not connect. There is a room for you Mr. Saunders through that door there. I am sure you will enjoy discovering your new accommodations.”

“Wow…” Harry could only stare at everything in awe. This was really nice, nicer than he had been expecting. It was as nice if not nicer than the Slytherin Common Room that he had seen second year. “This is all for me?”

McGonnagall smiled gently, “Yes. Also you shall have a dedicated House Elf as well.”

He got a House Elf? Well, there was only one real choice. “Could I get Dobby?”

“I don’t see why not. Just call him when you need him. Now the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room is through this door here. You will come out on the left side of the fire place, in that alcove with a bookcase. I am well aware that you and Miss Granger are familiar with it. You will need to set the passwords for your doors before you retire, else your suite will not be secured. Goodnight Harry, Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood.” She walked down the stairs and out the painting leaving them standing there as it swung close.

Luna whooped and leapt onto the couch, bouncing somewhat when she landed. She snuggled into the cushions giggling excitedly. Saunders did a quick check of the rooms, casting several spells as he moved about before looking pleased. “It’s secure. There is a minor wardstone here that helps hold the security spells that have been installed. This is actually far better than I had expected and I can easily upgrade things.”

Hermione meanwhile was looking over the bookcase, noting aloud that the same reference materials that were in the Common Room where here as well, as well as several others. “Harry, there are some books on Ancient and Noble houses as well as the government. An entire shelf seems dedicated to that. I haven’t seen them before in the library so I am going to have to borrow them.”

“Really? Those will be useful,” commented Harry, surprised to discover books on that topic. It seemed that generally there were very few books on Wizarding culture to be had in the library.

“Indeed Harry. You know, if we can engage with the Deatheaters politically as well then that can actually make everything easier. Putting pressure on them in that arena might just slow down their spread. It is at least an option to consider. Maybe we can look into businesses you have and see if there is an economic arena we can get involved in as well. Besides, if we can work those sides of things as well as get you all ready for potential combat then we will have done everything we can to prepare for the worst,” mentioned Saunders.

Luna spoke up from the couch, not even bothering to sit up. “You should find out who holds your proxies and speak with them or perhaps get yourself a new proxy.”

“What?” He had proxies? Why the hell would he have those?

“Honestly Harry, a proxy is someone who sits in at Wizengamont meetings and votes for your seats. Given everything, you should have at least two seats now as the head of both Potter and Black. That should give you more power than most others and should enable you to generate more pull than others, in terms of status. You know, use their Pureblood nonsense against them. If I recall the number of votes you are allowed are tabulated based on your house status. An important house but not Noble gets one vote. Malfoy would have two for being Noble but not Ancient, since his family arrived here during the Norman Conquest and as yet to pass the threshold. An Ancient house gets three, though there aren’t many of those remaining that haven’t been ennobled, and Ancient and Noble gets four. Most Noble and Ancient would give you five votes, and there are only a few of those houses remaining as well. A number of them died out in various wars, most notably against Voldemort the first go round. So that gives you ten votes personally to Malfoy’s two,” explained Hermione.

Harry blinked a few times. That didn’t seem right. Could that really be right? “I have ten votes in the Wizengamot?”

Saunders just grinned at him and went into his room. Harry almost staggered over and collapsed onto a part of the couch that was Lunaless. Luna sat up and moved to hug Harry. He sagged a little in her arms and grumbled, “So I have a lot of money and political power and no one thought that I might like to know that? That we might be able to use that?”

Hermione came over and sat on the other side of him, putting her arms around him as well. “Harry, you are free now to do whatever you want. Yes, things were hidden from you, things that you should have known. But remember you know now. And what did you know before about your family, that they loved you with everything they had. That is not a bad thing.”

“Thank you ‘mione. I don’t know if I could make it through all of this without you. You too Luna. You two really have been there for me time and again. Thank you.” His words were quite heartfelt.

Luna leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re welcome Harry. It was my pleasure. Now don’t let the wrackspurts gather.”

Harry snickered, his mood lightened some. “You’re right. And Luna, if you ever get locked out again just come stay in the Guest Room. It will always be there for you.”

Luna looked like she was about to argue but then after catching a look from both Hermione and Harry she simply said, “Okay. I can do that.”

“So Harry, what do you want to use as a password for the doors?” asked Hermione.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, considering and discarding a few things since they would be easier to guess and then grinned. This one would be perfect. “Who dares wins.”

“Oooohhhh Sassy!” chimed in Luna, which started the group of them laughing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I fit this in while I am busy editing my novel that is going to be published. That takes up a lot of time and keeps me from writing anything else. Enjoy.


	24. Chapter 24

Chap 24

Thanks to the coins, everyone in Dumbledore’s Army was able to meet the next night at the Room of Requirement. This was good because Harry wanted to make sure that the school year got started off on the right foot from the very beginning. He had initially thought that there would be no reason to hold the meetings this year, but the more he thought about it the more he realized that with Voldemort back and the failed attack at the Ministry, time was running out. There had been various attacks all over the UK and it was clear that the Deatheaters were trying to destabilize the country. So, no, this was something they were going to do again, not to mention the identity of the new DADA teacher.

People trickled in as ones and twos, just like they had done last year. Despite a number of people knowing where the room was, trying to keep up with the secrecy practices was a good thing. While this was occurring Harry was working through the things he wanted to say. He felt that he was a terrible public speaker but given that he was the one nominally in charge of everything it wasn’t like he had any real option. Once all the members were there Harry moved in front of everyone and started talking, “Right, so, hello everyone. I hope everyone had a fairly decent summer. I knew a few of you all had some excitement, especially Susan. I am glad you and your Aunt managed to get out of there before the Deatheaters closed in too much. Now since we all know how dangerous it is getting as well as Snape teaching DADA we will probably need to work on stuff ourselves again, just to be prepared. While I am sure the new Minister will be doing a far more competent job than Fudge, we can’t let ourselves grow lax. They will attack whoever they can get and it is up to all of us to stay safe. Now, before we do anything else, how did everyone do on their OWLs in Defense?”

Everyone commented they had done well, far better than they had expected, especially on the practical. Hermione gave Harry an ‘I told you so’ look which Harry had to give her. As usual, Hermione was right about something. He should know better by now, but it was what it was. If it hadn’t been for her prodding him he wouldn’t have started the DA and these people wouldn’t have learned all those skills. There was no doubt that without him there would have been a number of failures in OWLs. That was something. Even Hermione had informed him that without his help she had been unsure if she would have gotten an O in the practical because her strength was the theoretical. He was so used to Hermione being brilliant at everything that the idea had blown his mind.

“Okay. That is great to hear. So we know this works and I want to keep going, so we can all get as much practical practice as possible. However, first things first, I want to talk about Marietta. I am sure that you all heard about what happened to her when she told about the DA. So, do you think we should cut her some slack and forgive her or not? Remember that Umbitch threatened to fire her mother from her job at the Ministry if Marietta did not comply, so it wasn’t like she gave us up on her own.”

Susan Bones nodded, “Well, that’s true. What happened to her was rather amazing and cruel. I mean, really Hermione?”

Hermione had the grace to blush a little at this. Other people made similar sounds of agreement.

“So I take it that everyone is good with ending the revenge against her and talking to her, letting her know that we are sorry?” asked Harry, wanting to make sure that would be fine as he scanned the room. “I mean, I know we needed secrecy but the was really strict.”

Hermione nodded. “I’m sorry everyone. I just wanted to make sure we were all safe. I’ll go talk to her tomorrow and cancel everything.”

“Good. Now, we also all know that Voldemort is back. He is going to be building his strength and attacking at random, especially with a number of his more powerful people having been arrested. So far everyone here is about who I can trust to help fight against him. You have all shown that you are serious about this and know what the stakes are. However, we aren’t a lot of people. In all honesty, we could use a few members more if we have any hope of holding our own. So if you can think of anyone who would make a good member please let me know and we can see about bringing them in. And honestly, what it is coming down to is if we can trust each other or not, so for me this is more about trust than House. There have been villains and heroes from each of the Houses, so if you know a Slytherin who is worth joining us, then fine.”

This caused more talking amongst themselves. Harry waited for it to finish. He knew that this would be an issue, especially with Ron, but he was trying to be a realist and a pragmatist. It didn’t matter how good their training was if they got overwhelmed by numbers.

“Now the other thing you all need to know, we are going to be doing things fairly differently compared to last year. You all know that some of us went to the Ministry at the end of last year. While we were there we fought quite a number of Deatheaters. We did okay but we got hurt… a lot.” Harry could tell that he was getting a touch morose but he drove on. This was important and the crux of the change to the DA. “The problem that we noted was that when we stunned the Deatheaters they would just enervate each other and keep coming after us. We had to have stupfyed the same Deatheaters six or more times during that. It was exhausting and fruitless, as we were never really able to pull ahead. We can’t do that. As things are getting more serious we have to fight better. We need to put them down and have them stay down whenever we hit them.”

Padma started at that and blurted out in surprise, “You want us to kill them?”

The room went silent as that idea hit everyone at once. Despite knowing this was coming Harry sighed, “I know that this may be difficult to hear but we are at war everyone. We are not aurors. Our job is not to arrest troublemakers so that they can be brought to justice. We are students who want to ensure that we actually make it out of this war in one piece, both us and our friends and families. So to make that happen, to make sure we all get out of this alive, we need to hurt them. We need to hit them and hit them hard so that a healer is needed to get them back in the fight. If that means we end up killing them, fine. That happens. This is war. In war people die. It is a simple fact of life. I mean, let’s be honest, does anyone here think the Deatheaters would hesitate to kill any of us?”

No one spoke up. Harry had known the answer before he had asked the question. He knew this would be a bit of a shock to a lot of these people but he had to get through to them about the realities of what they were facing. “Those of you from a muggle background, I am sure you have seen war movies surely or read muggle history? The one thing they all make sure people get is that in war, lots of people die, both soldiers and civilians. In the war with Grindelwald, lots of wizards died. In the first war against Voldemort, lots of wizards died. Just because our enemy is from our own country is no reason to give them control of the battlefield.”

“I get that mate, I really do, but killing?” Anthony Goldstein looked conflicted and Harry couldn’t blame him. If he hadn’t had the last four months he had, he would be conflicted as well.

“Look, we aren’t Aurors. It makes sense for Aurors to use Stupefy on criminals because they need to be arrested and tried for their crimes. In a civilized country, the rule of law is important. We are not Aurors. We are all aware that these people will kill us happily. We are in the middle of a Civil War, where these blood purists want to destroy everything we hold dear. They are terrorists, using terror to force the population into giving up, and terrorists should get no mercy. And remember I didn’t say kill them right off. I don’t want any one casting any of the Unforgivibles after all. Instead I want you to hurt them, injure them so bad that they can’t get up to come after any of us. You might be fighting outnumbered for the safety of your family, those you care about. If they’re in danger, are you really going to fret over accidentally killing the person or persons trying to kill them? Aren’t you going to use the strongest spells you know, to keep everyone safe?”

That seemed to get through to a few of them as Hermione and Luna had said would happen. When in doubt, appeal to each person’s family. He continued, “Thinking of them as terrorists instead of criminals makes it a bit easier. Criminals might cause all sorts of problems, including murder but they tend to be isolated incidents and individuals. That is not what we are facing. The Deatheaters use tactics to terrify and cow the rest of Wizarding Britain, killing muggles and wizarding alike in their quest for dominance. They go after pureblood as well as muggleborn because honestly it isn’t about blood purity to them it is about one bastard ruling over all of us as his slaves. So, if we face them we need to hit them and hit them hard.”

He noted the nodding heads as people were accepting his arguments. True a lot of what he was saying had been planned and refined by the girls but he had added a few things as well. “Thinking of them as terrorists got me thinking. The best people I know at hunting terrorists are the muggle military organization called the SAS or Special Air Service. These muggle soldiers fight people similar to the Deatheaters all over the world and in the UK. They train extensively in muggle combat with firearms and are absolutely lethal. Knowing that, I figured we might be able to learn something from them, from their experience, and maybe it would give us the edge that we don’t have right now.”

“Wait, so you want us to use muggle ways of fighting?” Romilda Vane paused in her adoration of Harry to comment.

“Yes.”

“But mate, how are we going to learn this muggle fighting if we don’t have one of them with us?” Michael Corner asked, which was a logical question coming from the Ravenclaw. “I am sure that their skills and training aren’t available for everyone to learn.”

Harry actually smiled at that. It was playing right into what he wanted to say, “Since we are all bound by our oaths not to tell others about this, let me introduce my bodyguard Mr. Saunders. Susan’s aunt assigned him to me and he is going to help us train.”

Saunders stepped forward and his bearing was very military, when he did so. It was clear that this change in bearing was having an impact on the others based on how they were shifting. “Let me introduce myself first so you know why I am able to help you all train for this. I am a graduate of Hogwarts and was a hit wizard in the First war against Voldemort. Due to Ministry politics, I returned to the muggle world where I joined the British Military. While I was in service, I managed to make it into the SAS where I served for several years, traveling to several places to fight against terrorists. I am still a fully trained and recognized hit wizard by the Ministry but I also have this advanced military training Harry was speaking about.”

The muggleborn students were looking at him with a degree of awe, knowing as they did about the basics of the SAS. The others looked a bit stunned by that revelation and at the reactions of the others. Harry smirked, glad that this seemed to be working out and said, “Does that answer your question Michael?”

Corner just nodded, at a loss for words.

“Any other questions?” Harry waited but no one said anything. “Okay good. Now one thing we all need to work on is getting into better physical condition. From what Hermione has told me, there are some indications that a person who is physical fit can increase their magical power, so that could be an amazing edge for us if we ever needed to face anyone. Besides, a lot of those Deatheaters are pampered gits who are so used to using magic exclusively or having their House Elves doing it that they are not in very good shape and maybe we can run circles around them. Because of that, I recommend things like running and lifting weights to help with getting up all physically fit. Hermione, Luna, Ron, Ginny and I have been doing this for the last month and I feel great. Also it does feel like my magic is easier to connect to, possibly because I am more connected to my body. You guys have any comments?” Harry turned to the others.

“It sucks at the beginning,” commented Ron. “I mean, really sucks. But it does get better and easier. Besides, being in better shape makes it easier to dodge, which I know we will all be working on.”

Harry looked at the girls and none of them had anything to add. “So we have a plan then. Try to get some new members, get into better shape and next time we will start with the actual training, right after we get an idea of what Snape is like as a teacher.”

Everyone talked for a bit after the meeting broke up. People were spending time reconnecting with the other members they had been friends with. Harry just sat back against one of the walls, watching the others for the most part, content with being near his girlfriends for right now. They had already learned how comfy the couch was and there were plenty of snogging opportunities in his suite. It made him happy that there was no reason to use any of the convenient boom closets for that purpose. Harry smiled, thinking about how amazingly hot it had been when he had watched Luna and Hermione snog. He had never expected to see something like that and it did arouse him quite a bit. Of course the girls had each said something about getting excited watching Harry kiss the other so he could live with that. He was a lucky bastard, there was no doubt about that in his mind. Sirius would be having a field day, teasing him so much…

His mood dropped at the memory of his Godfather. Yes he had died with a smile on his face as he protected Harry, but Harry would rather have Sirius back than anything else. They had been growing closer and he had been someone Harry had trusted deeply, right up there with Hermione. He missed the stupid jokes, the pranks, and stories about his parents, all of it. Sirius had been a wonderful Godfather and just because he hadn’t thought to use that damn communication mirror, the man was dead. He had failed his Godfather in a very basic way but there was no way in hell he was going to fail all these others. It would devastate him if anything happened to those he deeply cared for. He would have to be better, stronger, faster, fight harder and smarter than ever before all because he wasn’t sure he could take another death, especially not the death of someone he cared about.

The girls noted his mood shift and hugged him. While holding him tight, Luna kissed him on the cheek. Seamus had caught the action and his gasp of surprise got everyone’s attention and the all turned towards him and his new relationship. Fixing a smile to his face, he squeezed the girls’ hands for support before letting the others know about this development. He really hoped it would be easy.


	25. Chapter 25

Chap. 25

“…and so now I am dating both of them,” concluded Harry, as calmly and factually as he could manage.

The guys in the group were gaping at him in amazement, clearly trying to wrap their heads around this notion, while all the girls cut their eyes over to Hermione and Luna, narrowing them intently, apparently teetering between jealously and envy. Dean seemed to shake the stupor off first and asked in a voice filled with disbelief and wonder, “So wait… you all kiss and everything?”

Harry sighed and lowered his head. Sometimes people really did not seem to be able to understand simple English. “It’s a regular relationship Dean, like any other, just with three instead of two.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Luna got this look in her eye that Harry was coming to dread. He tried to prepare himself for what was to come, all the while knowing that there was nothing he could really do to manage that. In a very happily dreamy voice, Luna explained, “I must admit, they both kiss really well. No problems or anything and it makes me feel for tingly.”

Harry and Hermione both blushed darkly, glaring at Luna who looked perfectly serious and content with what she had just expressed.

“You… Hermione… both… really?” squeaked Seamus, eyes so wide that Harry was concerned that they might just fall out of his head. He had no idea if that were even possible and he had no urge to ever discover that fact.

To prove the veracity of her statement, Luna leaned over and planted one right of Hermione’s lips, sliding a hand into her hair to help pull her closer. The Gryffindor started some in surprise but did not back away and instead kissed the blonde back, her own hands moving into the blonde locks. That got people gaping in surprise again, clearly thrown by the display before them. Harry shook his head. Sure the plan had been to let people all know at once, so that they could answer whatever questions they might have. It had however not been to break them. “Guys?”

Several people shook their heads, as if trying to clear the images that had doubtless been burned into their retinas and brains before thy turned their heads and looked at Harry, who was trying to shift things from the physical side of the relationship to more practical matters, “Really, what the three of us have is just a normal relationship, like other people have. Like I said, due to my being the Head of two Houses that are pretty much destroyed, I am socially obligated to have a Lady for each House. It was explained that I needed to rebuild each of them back to their former glory and so, being in a plural relationship would not be strange. I liked both of them already and they already knew me as Harry and not the Boy-who-lived so it seemed like the most natural thing to do.”

Ron was off to the side, remaining calm and showing silent support for his best mate. Thankfully the three of them had told him almost immediately after the fact else this would be a much more tumultuous scene. Of that there would be no doubt as it had been when it had occurred. After a mess of heated words, in the end it needed Harry to take him outside and away from the girls in order to speak with him for an hour or so. Mostly it had been for Ron’s safety as the two girls had not been reacting to his yelling. Some of what had been said had shocked Harry. Truthfully, Harry had not been aware that Ron had been into Hermione for quite a while, but that was easily passed off due to his cluelessness at times. The two argued all the time, and not the bickering that loving couples did but rather the kind that required intervention before things came to blows. Harry now got that his best friend felt cheated and like Harry took everything. It had pissed him off when that had been thrown in his face but he got it. They had nearly come to blows over that but things worked out in the end.

One of the things that had made the biggest impact on the redhead was when Ron’s father had explained the issues a Head of House had to deal with, especially with a prominent family being so near the end of a Family line and the reasoning behind this to help him deal. Ron admitted that it really did sound like that even when Harry seemed to win he was losing somehow. If that were occurring now instead of days ago… Harry really didn’t want to think about it. Hell, even Hermione had spoken with Ron, to help smooth things over when they had both gotten calmer. It had been a nightmare that had at least ended happily, though only after hours.

From what Harry could see from the faces of the DA members there was not a similar storm brewing amongst the others. That was the good news and made him relax even more. He had to concede the point that a number of the girls did look upset with Luna and Hermione but he knew better than to put himself in the middle of that mess. Getting involved with that sort of issue would only lead to tears, more than likely his own. Helping matters, Saunders was standing off to the side snickering and shaking his head. Harry glared at the man for all the good it did, not even denting the sound. The bodyguard seemed to take the teenage antics of the entire group rather amusedly, which was annoying. This was actually a serious conversation and would impact how well the group would be able to work together from this point forward.

“Are there any more questions about our relationship or are we all good?” asked Hermione, scanning across the faces.

No one had anything else to say at that point, as there had been a mess of answers to both relevant and impertinent questions. With that last bit of fun taken care of, people trickled out while Harry used the map to ensure there was no one nearby to catch them. Once everyone left, Harry turned to Saunders and asked, “So what do you think? Will this room work for training purposes?”

Saunders scanned the room again with a smile on his face. “I think it will. This is just an amazing room and the training tools you already have on hand here are excellent. I only wish our training rooms back at the Ministry were this good. There are a few things I can think of to help make things better but on the whole it is perfect as it is. You really lucked out with this.”

“Good.” Harry was pleased with that and grinned as he scanned the room one more time. Something occurred to him and made him even happier. “And maybe it can give us someplace to run during the winter.”

“So let me get this straight, this room can become anything you ask it to?” asked Saunders, clearly thinking about something in particular.

“Everything that has been asked so far,” replied Harry with a shrug.

The man nodded thoughtfully. It was almost possible to see the wheels spinning in his head. After a last nod, where apparently the last of his thoughts fell into place, Saunders clapped Harry on the shoulder and said, “Well come on Lord Potter. I am sure there is homework left to write.”

The group of them exited the room and the door faded out of existence. Returning to his suite with the girls, Harry walked slowly, letting his thoughts go over what actual homework he had left to write tonight. So far as he knew there was only the one report left to write, as there were no other pressing bits of homework that he was aware of. Once through the door, he got out his supplies to work on the Herbology report. It was only eight inches long so he figured that it shouldn’t take too long to write up. Hermione and Luna both had their books with them as well, setting up at the table with him. Hermione was already done with that report and was starting a Runes project that was due next week. While they were trying to get their work started, Dobby brought by mugs of orange juice for them all instead of the far thicker pumpkin juice, since he knew that they preferred it.

After buckling down and completing his report, he thankfully put down his quill and sighed, stretching his hand to work out a few of the cramps he had. Hermione and Luna both looked up from where they were working, since his shaking hand had caught their eyes. Sensing something from the cast of his face, Hermione asked, “What is it Harry?”

He looked around, unsure for a moment before his nebulous thoughts began to take on more form. There actually was something bothering him and it was only now starting to take shape in his thoughts. Gesturing around, Harry grumbled, “This, all of this, what the hell?”

Both Hermione and Luna shared a questioning look and turned back to Harry, their quills both getting set aside. “What?”

“I mean,” Harry floundered for words briefly before he blurted out, “What the hell? Look at this; I am in a bloody suite for Christ’s sake.”

“Language!” chided Hermione.

“Sorry Mione. But I mean, think about this… if I had known about claiming my inheritance sooner this probably would have been my suite for a while now. We would have had a safe place to talk, to plot. We could have brewed the polyjuice in the safety of these rooms, without having to risk discovery in Myrtle’s bathroom. We could have met here last year instead of Hog’s Head when we started the DA, keeping us off Umbridge’s radar. We could have been safer, a lot safer, but no, stupid Dumbledore didn’t bother to let me know this really vital part of my own inheritance. Without Sirius… without Sirius… making an…” Harry was too chocked up to continue, words closing up in his throat.

The girls moved closer practically as one and hugged him, each pair of arms clasped around a different level. Hermione, not sure what to say in response, talked slowly and softly, her thinking stretching out what she had to say. “Yes there are a lot of things you didn’t know before now. We are working on fixing that, making sure you know everything you need to know. Yes Professor Dumbledore seems to be hoarding information and doling it out rather slowly. We are working on that too; wanting you have answers to as many of your questions as possible. All we can do right now is just hold each other and our friends. Things are out of control but maybe this year we can do better than usual. Maybe we can keep from blundering blindly. Your inheritance is not a bad thing Harry. Perhaps you need to think about the fact that it shows the love your family and your Godfather had for you.”

Harry grabbed one of her arms and squeezed, letting her know that he heard her, as he still hadn’t found full use of his words. His breath came out shaky along with what words he was able to speak, “Love you. Thank you.”

Hermione paused and gazed intently at Harry, trying to piece together what his words meant, while he was still too busy trying to reign in his emotions to register what he had just said. Luna beamed at Hermione over his bowed head and gave her a hug, happy for her. They just waited for him, rubbing his back. When Harry seemed to have better control over himself she asked, “Better now Harry?”

“Yes thank you.” He smiled weakly, his emotions still turbulent.

“It’s okay Harry. You lost your Godfather, who you were very close to only a short while ago,” commented Luna, switching to nails instead of simply rubbing. “That is a big thing Harry. When I lost my Mother I was inconsolable for a very long time. That sort of response is a normal thing. You just need to stay close to those who love you and who you love and you will be right as rain in no time.”

Harry had to admit that made sense and did make him feel a bit lighter. Luna had to have some secret magic in her that could explain why she was so good at that. “I just miss him.”

Hermione ran a hand down his hair, resting her hand at the back of his neck. “We know Harry. I miss him too. He was a wonderful man who loved you deeply. You must never forget that.”

He nodded, looking down at his clasped hands, trying to settle his emotions and thoughts. This was so hard. For so much of his life he had kept things closed off, protected, so that the words and actions of his relatives couldn’t hurt him. He had worked hard to keep his heart and mind safe from the abuse he had suffered. It was surely not the best possible plan, but it had worked for him for years. But Sirius had gotten inside his guard, almost faster than he could imagine, possibly because he was a connection to his parents, a man who cared about him so much that he had risked his life several times in the hopes that he could keep Harry safe. Sirius might have had some trouble saying things sometimes but his actions practically screamed out what he thought. What hurt was that Harry had never really felt that before Sirius had entered his life, that there was an adult who truly cared for him and was looking out for his greater good. It was so out of his experience that he had no protection against it.

He might have been able to work something out, to find a way to protect himself again, but before he was able to work something out, the girls slid right inside and refused to budge, digging in and making themselves at home. In so many ways he held no desire to dislodge them from his heart. Dumbledore might insist that Love was the power that Riddle knew not, but Harry wasn’t stupid enough to fool himself on the matter since it wasn’t like he knew much about it either. For so much of his life there had been no love for him. His relatives could care less if he would live or die. He was a pariah who had darkened their door and so they had made their displeasure known. And now, now he felt like he was drowning in love. Between what he had felt for Sirius, what he felt for the girls, the differences there, what he felt for Ron, Ginny, Neville, all these other people who had become important to him, he was growing aware that just maybe he really did know something about love. Well, maybe not _know_ per se, as he still had no clue, but he could recognize that he was rich in this.

“Hermione, Luna… thank you both for everything. I don’t know how I would have made it through this summer without the two of you. Hell, even Tonks helped, though that might not have been her intension.” He smirked slightly, amused with what he had said about Tonks. “I never knew that I had a cousin, that I had more relatives besides the Dursleys until this summer. I have worked so hard to keep focused on the training, to keep from letting all this overwhelm me, and I never would have managed on my own. Thank you.”

“Tosh. You would have managed just fine Harry. You always do. You are very strong in all the ways that really matter and that has made all the difference. It has always been one of the things I have most admired about you. I am so happy to be your girlfriend because you, Harry James Potter, are a wonderful man.” Hermione said, leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder, tightening her grip on his arm.

“That is very true Harry. I know you don’t see that about yourself but that has more to do with wrackspurts than anything else. You are wonderful and loving. That you love the both of us is a very clear sign of that.” Luna leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You are a great man.”

Harry blushed slightly. It was a little overwhelming to realize just how much these two cared for him. He wanted to make it clear to them just how much they meant to him. Summoning his courage, he decided to say what he had been saying for a while in the privacy of his own thoughts. “Thank you. I… I love you both, very much. You two have made me more aware of what love actually is than anyone else. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

The girls tightened their hugs and kissed him on the cheeks at the same time. As his blush deepened the two just giggled at him, obviously pleased. Harry was amazed at how the girls had taken him from so sad and crushed to being happy in only a few minutes. It was… well, magical. Their touch settled him and made him feel less jangled inside, more in control of himself. He was glad that everyone knew about the three of them now, as he wouldn’t have to keep what he felt for them inside. He could make what he felt clear to all who could see. They were amazing. He was a very, very lucky man and was sure that belief would never change.


	26. Chapter 26

Chap 26

“Fuck HIM!”

The door slamming startled Hermione and Luna, who both looked up from their reading to chide, “Harry!”

“No, fuck the smarmy bastard. He gave me detention this time for what, bloody breathing, and then spends the time dueling me, mocking me and smirking that bloody smirk of his every time he hit. Fuck him!” Harry growled out, obviously pissed. His eyes scanned the room, clearly looking for something either to kick or throw.

Saunders walked out of his room, wiping his hands clean of gun oil with a rag. “What’s going on?”

“God-bedamned Snape is what’s going on.” His anger only grew the more he thought about it.

“Harry…” begged Hermione.

He turned to face her, “What? You can’t tell me it’s not accurate.”

Luna sighed and put down the tome she had been reading down, getting up from where she had been snuggling with Hermione. Harry’s eyes followed her as she walked up and gave him a hug. “Harry, you need to relax. Even if he is an ass…”

“Luna!” Hermione snapped.

The blonde continued unabated, “…you shouldn’t let him dictate how you feel. This gives you too many Wrackspurts and muddles your thinking. You need to calm down and breathe. So he fought with you, so what? At worst you are getting extra dueling practice. Isn’t that a better way to think about it?”

Harry stared at her and his anger drained. It was very difficult to remain upset with anyone when Luna looked at him with those soft, gentle eyes of hers. The hug didn’t hurt matters. He sighed in resignation and said, “Okay… I’ll try.”

“So… Snape… the spy in Voldemort’s camp is mean to you?” asked Saunders, a tone of disbelief evident. “Is that right?”

Harry scoffed. Did Saunders really get how much Snape and he loathed each other? “More than mean. I think the man enjoys tormenting me. That’s what it always seems like.”

Saunders just looked at Harry, his eyes not really giving anything away. He had a similar look on his face to Hermione’s ‘I figured something out and why aren’t you getting this’ face. Hermione and Luna both looked thoughtful as well. The man asked as simple question. “Are you sure?”

This threw Harry for a bit. “Am I sure? He has been a bully, a liar, and a cheat ever since I got here. He glared at me pretty much from the moment I arrived.”

With a sigh, Saunders said, “I see… so there can be no other reason for his actions?”

“The man’s a Death Eater. He has a pretty damn compelling reason.” His anger was mounting again.

“Grab your cloak and follow me.” Saunders walked back into his room and came back out, putting his pistol in its holster.

Harry looked confused. This segue didn’t make any sense. “Why do I need my cloak?”

“I don’t want you to be seen, that’s why,” replied Saunders.

Grumbling in irritation, Harry headed into his bedroom to pick up his invisibility cloak. Where was he going that required him to be invisible? This didn’t make any kind of sense. Closing his trunk, Harry walked back to the suite’s living room, cloak draped over one arm. “I have it.”

“Good. Now follow me.”

Harry looked over at the girls who smiled encouragingly at him. This didn’t help Harry with any of his trepidation. He trusted the man, as there was no way for him to be a Death Eater, but he was walking out with no clue as to where they were going. Throwing the cloak over himself, Harry followed Saunders out of the suite, a spell helping to ensure that he moved silently. When the MI5 agent headed down towards the dungeons, he began to grow suspicious. As they drew closer to the Slytherin dorms there was no denying where they were going and it only rekindled his anger at the greasy haired git. Stopping at last at Snape’s door, Saunders gave him a surreptitious sign to stand close.

Saunders knock was answered swiftly, the door flying open. Snape stood there, eyes tight, glaring at Saunders with disgust. “To what do I owe this… pleasure?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“We are currently engaged in that activity.” Pointed out Snape, less than helpfully.

“In your rooms, please. Unless you want to run the risk of one of your Snakes overhearing what I have to say, then by all means let us continue right here.”

Growling, Snape moved to the side. Saunders gave Snape an irritated grin, looking at him disapprovingly, and then walked through. Once the door was closed, Saunders pulled free his wand, slowly, quite obvious in his actions. Snape just nodded to him, pulling his own wand free. The two began casting a number of security spells, and Harry only recognized those thanks to Hermione’s study into all sorts of spells for most any occasion. She had tried to get all of those into his head but it had been only partially successful. Once finished, Saunders said, “Harry, come out.”

Snape’s glower was one of the best he had ever seen from the potions Master. It actually made him worried for his safety. “What is HE doing here Saunders?”

“I need your help to explain something to him, something that I think you actually want him to know. I know enough about your history and the Potters to realize that this is a long overdue conversation. Harry here is under the impression that you actually enjoy tormenting him.”

With a quirked eyebrow and small humorless smile, Snape replied, “Really now?”

Harry began to bristle in anger. Why the hell was he here? To receive more abuse from his least favorite teacher? What the hell was Saunders thinking?

“Severus…” There was clearly a tone of warning.

With a roll of his eyes, Snape turned and headed towards his chair, picking up the brandy snifter that was on a small table. He gestured towards the small couch he had. “Sit.”

Harry complied, but not without a glower. Saunders sat down without commentary. Saunders turned in his seat and looked at Harry. “I am going to explain something to you and you are going to listen. Understand?”

With a nod, Harry silently made his answer clear. It was about time things were explained to him.

Noting that Harry was paying attention, Saunders continued, “Good. Now I am aware that you know a little about the spy business from your reading. Do you concede that I might know more about the subject than you?”

“You work for MI5, of course you know more.” Where the hell was Saunders going with this.

“You work for MI5?” Snape started in surprise, putting down his snifter before it could fall.

Saunders turned and smiled at Snape. “Yes. When I left the Auror corp I joined the British Military, was in the SAS and got recruited from there. And I would appreciate you not sharing that fact with either side.”

“Certainly.” Snape looked a touch offended.

“Right. So, correct me if I’m wrong Severus, but you are working as a deep cover agent in Voldemort’s camp?”

“Deep cover agent?” Harry had heard the term but wasn’t sure what it meant.

Snape nodded. “Indeed. Go on.”

“Now Harry, what you need to know is that a Deep Cover agent works by having someone join the enemy, pretending to be one of them, as completely as possible. Deep Cover is used for long term assignments, from 6 month to a year or more. They have to create a persona that fits with the targets and stick to it all the time, unless they are in a safe space and can lower the persona. So if someone were going to be infiltrating the Death Eaters they would have to be…”

“The best Death Eater possible,” finished Harry. That did make sense but Snape was such an Agent?

“Exactly. Severus here, being a Double Agent in Deep Cover, _has_ to treat you like he does because the Death Eaters’ kids would notice if he treated you any other way. He has to act in a certain manner in order to protect his cover, which includes treating you and others like he does,” explained Saunders.

Harry looked up at the Potion Master questioningly. Could this really be true? But why? Snape did not have the usual sneer on his face, which was honestly unnerving, making him shift uncomfortably in his seat. “Uhm… so how do you really feel?”

Snape chuckled and turned to Saunders, shaking his head in amusement. “You worked all that out from merely knowing I was a spy for Dumbledore?”

“Yes. It was what made most sense given that I knew how close you and Lily were in school.”

Harry was shocked by that statement, turning back to face Snape. “You knew my mother?”

“And your Aunt.” That shocked Harry as well. No wonder his Aunt had such a bad opinion about magic. “You see Potter, we met as children before Hogwarts, as we lived close to one another. She was my first friend, my best friend. The two of us were as close as you and Granger. Because we were sorted into different houses, things grew… difficult. Your father and his cronies liked to pick on me, as you saw, partially because I hung out with your mother. In some ways that treatment drove me right into the clutches of the Death Eaters. They courted me because of my obvious skill with potions and my… creativity in spell creation. They made me feel… wanted, needed, so I joined. The Dark Lord saw past my being a half blood, mocked me for my self-assigned nickname, and I got branded. Thankfully I was spared the… usual initiation process. Kidnapping, rape and murder hold no appeal for me and I was grateful for the reprieve. The Dark Lord wanted me for my brewing prowess, not my dueling skills.”

Harry hung on every word. Snape seemed less hostile, less annoying than usual and it was disconcerting. Could this really be true? And nickname? What was that about?

“Your mother and I had a spat, where I called her Malfoy’s favorite epithet in a fit of anger. I regretted it instantly but it was too late. I had driven a wedge into our relationship and she didn’t talk to me for a long while. For a while I was too scared to approach her to apologize to her, as Lily knew how to nurture a grudge. Her knowledge of spells and her angry focus when fighting made me… hesitant to let her know what an idiot I had been. Turning around my eyelids would be the gentle approach. Then, after I had overheard part of the prophecy…”

A rush of heat ran up Harry’s spine and he bounded to his feet, fists clenched. He… that bastard! “You… you lead Voldemort to my parent’s death.”

Bowing his head, unable to meet Harry’s blazing eyes, Snape said, “To my unending shame, I did.”

Saunders rested a hand on Harry’s arm, encouraging him to sit back down. With an angry glare at the agent, Harry complied, turning his anger back to where it belonged. Snape continued, “When it became clear that you were the focus of the prophecy, given that you and Longbottom were born as the seventh month died, I felt sure it would be you, mostly because that would be the worst result for me. Once I knew that you were the target the Dark Lord was fixating on, I rushed to your mother and threw myself at her feet, telling her of the prophecy I had overheard. Your mother was pissed and your father and I had… words.”

Harry felt sure that spells were exchanged at that point. He could certainly understand that urge.

“Regardless, I could never let my best friend and her child die, I just couldn’t. She and your father brought me to Dumbledore once we had finished and that’s when I began my career as a double agent. Just the thought of the Dark Lord and the others possibly hurting her fueled my anger and disgust. It took some time after that but your mother and I reconciled. A little while later your father and I did as well.”

“What?!” Harry was confused. Didn’t Snape hate his father? He was constantly raving about that.

Snape grinned at him, his superior grin that all but screamed he knew more than others. “Oh yes. James and I grew somewhat close while you all were in seclusion. I knew where your family was staying, having been let into the secret by a note, and I visited as often as I could. You and I even played some when you were a toddler.”

This shook Harry to the core and a chill rushed through his body. He felt his whole world start to crumble. “We did?”

“Yes.” Snape seemed to be enjoying the effect this conversation was having on Harry. “Thankfully I never had to be around any of the other Marauders, especially Black. I was getting over the fact that Sirius had planned on having Remus kill me, but I was nowhere close enough to being over it for Lily to risk having us all together in the same room.”

“Buh… wha?”

This seemed to amuse Snape, based on his unusual looks. Harry had never seen the Potion Master smile so. “So I helped out, watching you, changing your nappies, treating you for various childhood illnesses, the works. In a way I was your unofficial Godfather.”

Falling back in his seat, Harry could only gape. His stomach churned at the thought of Snape being involved in his raising.

“Knowing the Dark Lord planned on attacking you, I begged him to spare your mother. I thought that if he vowed to spare her he might be less lethal to your father as well. Your parents knew he was after them, as well as what I had gotten him to agree to but in the end that’s not how it played out. Voldemort had several raids happen that night to draw away any possible protection on the house. As usual I was left out of those missions. Due to that, it was planned for me to come over and take you and your mother trick or treating in a muggle neighborhood. She had a very cute costume for you and everything. However, when I got there…” Snape’s voice trailed off, eyes seeing something, something that hurt. He swallowed heavily, “When I got there the house was in shambles, your parents dead, and that RAT had fled with the Dark Lord’s wand. I was holding you when Hagrid arrived, after I was cried out over your mother I calmed you down. He did what I asked and took you to Hogwarts to have Poppy look you over. Black never saw me when he arrived, as I was too busy taking care of your parents. When I got to the school I made sure you were okay, since you were the last link I had to your mother. I even protested when Dumbledore planned on taking you to the Dursleys, because I knew what Petunia was like.”

“So if you felt like that, why have you treated me like you do?” Harry’s voice was soft, unsure. There had been almost too many reality shaking reveals for him to find solid ground.

With a sigh, Snape replied sadly, “Knowing the Dark Lord would return eventually, it was planned for me to take over the potions class as well as Slytherin House from Slughorn. I played on the ‘bias’ that my House has in order to have favorable reports passed on to the other Death Eaters. My loyalty would be in question unless I ‘proved’ it to the others all the time. That has gotten me into his Inner Circle, so I can gather more information.”

“So you treat me the way you do in order to make Voldemort believe you hate me?” Harry was a bit incredulous. How could that be true?

“Exactly. I want you to master silent casting because it will make you a better fighter. I want you to kill that bastard but I also want you to survive long enough to manage that. It’s the least I owe your parents, especially your mother. To that end I will continue being hard on you, to get closer to the Dark Lord, and to make you strong enough to face him. I swear to that Harry. I won’t let you down.”

Harry was quiet, at a loss for words. There was so much of this that ran utterly contrary to what he knew and had experienced. Snape was… but that meant… his head hurt with all the possibilities. Hermione might be able to make sense out of all this but he was so unsure. It was too different. So Snape had been protecting him all this time? But… this was a bit too much. His head was spinning.

“Do you understand now Harry?” asked Saunders.

“I guess.”

That caused Snape to chuckle dryly just before taking a drink of his brandy.

“Severus has to act this way to protect his cover and gather intel. It’s not personal. You need to remember that.”

“I… I need to think about this.” Harry stood and began to pull the cloak on.

Snape nodded. “I understand. The knowledge that I love your mother and by extension you, must come as quite the shock.”

That didn’t make things any better, in fact made them a bit worse. Snape loved him? His mother? “Thanks?”

Snape’s amused smile grew. “Good night Harry. I am sure we will talk again.”


	27. Chapter 27

Chap 27

The walk back to the quarters was done in silence, with Harry refraining from stomping from the room. As it was, it had been a good thing Harry was wearing his cloak, since there was a teary eyed second year Slytherin at the door, waiting politely. Saunders and Snape sniped at each other, sliding back into their ‘roles’ as Harry moved past and into the Hall, waiting for his bodyguard. When Snape had ushered the child into his room and shutting the door firmly in Saunders’ face, they started off down the hall.

Midway up one of the moving stairs, Harry stopped his walking, his fists clenching and unclenching, unaware that he was growling and grumbling under his breath. Saunders did a quick scan of their surroundings before directing more attention to his charge. “Yes Harry?”

His voice was tight and he struggled to hold back a great deal of what he was feeling from his voice. Thankfully Ron had given him plenty of practice over the years. “Do you believe him?”

“Which part?” Saunders didn’t even attempt to pretend that he didn’t know the topic at hand.

“All of it, any of it.” Harry’s body tensed, moments away from striking out at something. He wanted to explode, to go back downstairs and attack that bastard with all that he had. He had been able to hold his own in the Ministry so surely he could pound on the Slytherin Head.

Saunders scanned the area again and frowned. He rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder, urging him into motion again. “Come on.”

The two of them made it to the third floor, the bodyguard leading an invisible Harry into an empty classroom, podium still at the front and dust covered desks pushed to one side. When the door closed, Saunders cast a number of spells quickly, providing light, and sealing the room against intrusion and eavesdropping. Harry threw his cloak to the side and started pacing. Leaning against one of the desks, Saunders stated, “I do believe some of that Harry. He really was close with your mother when both got here. Up until their fifth year they were the best example of interhouse friendship I had ever seen, holding out against both houses alike. So, he was probably telling the truth, at least to an extent.”

“An extent?” Harry faced Saunders, eyes narrowed in mounting anger. He was so incredulous that words nearly failed him. “An extent!? That fucker mind raped me last year, all but tortured me for years with his comments and petty games, has been a constant thorn in my side since day one, and this, _this_ supposedly justifies his actions?!”

With a sigh, Saunders rubbed his forehead. “From what I have gathered, Severus told Dumbledore about Voldemort’s interest in you in the hopes that he would be able to protect you all. Knowing Dumbledore, he more than likely had him swear some kind of oath or vow to obey him or some such since he had the chance. That would mean that because of such a vow, Severus would have carried out things he would have disliked because of that. From everything you have told me about Dumbledore, do you doubt that the Headmaster would do that, that the man might have set Severus up as a bully to push you and make the Slytherins trust him more?”

The conflict on Harry’s face was obvious. There was logic there but that was doing little to override the emotional tumult that was raging inside. Finally he slumped slightly, drained just a bit, and said, “No, you’re right, that sounds exactly like something Dumbledore would doin order to secure his Greater Good. Fuck! I hate Snape. I really hate Snape and now you point out that he could be a pawn in this just as much as me? I… no, there had to be a better way to make those points without him doing what he’s done. And Dumbledore… if he had a hand in this…. No, fuck them both.”

Saunders sighed and nodded. Harry could tell that the MI5 agent had more to say but thought better of it. “Okay. At the end of the day I am worried about you and helping you kill Voldemort rather than playing wizarding world politics. On this it is your call.”

Harry growled and drew his wand, snapping out a bombarda at several of the desks, destroying them in a blast, splinters flying everywhere. While the noise and explosion gave him some momentary relief, his anger flowed back. Saunders didn’t even flinch. He gave Harry an appraising look and asked, “Better?”

Panting some, not from exertion but rather from his emotional tension, Harry ran a hand through his messy dark hair. Further destruction wouldn’t help with what he was feeling. “Yes.”

“Come on. Let’s get you back to your room. You have classes tomorrow and hopefully you can get some sleep. Try, just try to forget this all for now. If you think you will have trouble, have a dreamless sleep potion.”

“I don’t want a bloody dreamless sleep potion! I want some answers that make some sort of sense,” yelled Harry, whirling at the agent.

Saunders nodded and said, “What do you want to know? I’ll tell you what I can.”

“Snape and my mother…” There was such a distaste in his mouth that he couldn’t even continue. The mere thought churned his stomach.

“Severus told me that he and your mother were best friends before Hogwarts. Their friendship grew strained when they got sorted to different Houses and were pulled in different directions. The Marauders made matters worse because they liked picking on him, probably because of your Mother’s friendship with him.” Saunders kept emotion out of his voice, simply relating the facts.

“So that was true?” Harry was skeptical of everything. It all seemed so unlikely to him. The mere notion… no it didn’t bear thinking.

With a nod, Saunders answered, “Yes. I had seen the two of them talking in the Library and such.”

Harry shook his head, too many images were arising that kind of made him want to vomit. The notion that Snape and his mother, “I… I…” With a full body shudder, Harry turned, spitting out, “Fuck it. Fuck everything. I… no… fuck it.”

Saunders followed behind as Harry made a beeline towards the suite, not carrying that he wasn’t invisible at the moment. In a way he felt like he was daring some bloody Prefect to get into his face about him being out and he would let them have it. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the opportunity never presented itself. He slammed the door to his suite behind him but Saunders was through fast enough to catch the slamming of his bedroom door, as Harry isolated himself from everyone, everything. With a quick glance around the empty room he knew what he needed to do.

Harry was on his bed, shaking with rage, and pain, and loss and everything churning together into a vast maelstrom of emotional discordance. His Godfather was dead, probably because something Snape said or did or something and then had the bloody gall to claim that he, _he_ , was kind of a secondary Godfather. What the hell was that about? Just ewww! And Snape’s comments about his parents just brought back all the grief and loss he felt that had been building the more he learned about them. They sounded like wonderful people, people he could have believed in. He could have had a beautiful and wonderful life, with doting parents, interesting “Uncles” and have known of the Wizarding world. All that, that perfect future stolen from him by Voldemort, stolen by Snape’s Death Eater duplicity.

All the work he had done over the summer trying to control his anger, cope with his grief, depression, all of that seemed to be for naught as that conversation rolled around in his head like a burr digging into his flesh. What the hell? And Snape smiling at him? Like an actual smile? His skin crawled at that remembrance. No, too many things had happened in too short a time and he was just tired of it. And to know that he was going to go back into that bloody DADA classroom and have to put up with the ‘façade’ just to appease the bloody Deatheater youth in order to keep Snape’s cover, he just didn’t know if he could deal with it.

He pounded his mattress in anger, in despair, in something, unsure what he was feeling because he was feeling too much, too many things. Sobs chocked in his throat, unable to come out, caught between everything. His whole life seemed more and more like a stupid fucking lie, a plan to make him something he felt like he wasn’t. His Godfather thrown in prison without a trial. Snape apparently a close family friend despite how he acted towards him now. Dumped on the Dursleys and never checked up on, treated like a Malfoy elf. Picked up by Hagrid and taken to Diagon Alley instead of sending Professor McGonnagall like happened with other Muggleborn. Meeting the Weasleys at King’s Cross, because Mrs. Weasley had to have known the damn platform number. Mooney. The fucking Goblet because there had to have been a way to get him out of that. The constant back and forth about him in the Press. The Toad, because what was Dumbledore thinking letting that travesty to God and Nature in the school. There was too much, far too much, too many things that felt off, that felt odd, that with the weight of looking back on them didn’t make any damn sense. It made him feel more thing like than ever and it wasn’t the Dursleys who had done it, it was the whole fucking magical world. He was their ‘freak,’ their punching bag. And these people wanted him to save them from Voldemort? Where they bloody crazy?

A hand started rubbing his back and he shook a little under the gentling touch. He voice spilled out, making things more coherent. “Why? Why is this happening to me?”

“I don’t know Harry but you aren’t going through this alone. You have me. You have Luna. You have a lot of people who care about you and respect you, who are real friends.” said Hermione softly. “We’re with you through thick or thin.”

“He says he was their friend, their friend! And he betrayed them.” Harry felt hot tears trickle down his face, almost burning fire down his cheeks.

“I know Harry, but we will deal with Pettigrew when we catch him.” Hermione was being supportive despite not knowing all the details.

“Not the Rat, Snape,” spat Harry.

Hermione didn’t chide him over not calling him Professor, her hand stopping the soothing rub, and he turned his head to look at her with some confusion. She had her mouth open, eyes wide, gaping at him in shock. “Wait what? What are you talking about Harry?”

“Snape. He was the one who overheard the fucking Prophesy and told Voldemort. Once he realized that my mother and I were targets, he supposedly went to my mother and confessed everything. They had been childhood friends, like what the fuck? He said he had visited my parents several times, had made friends with my Dad. What the hell can I believe anymore?”

Hermione pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tightly. “You can believe in me. You can believe in Luna. We love you Harry James Potter and we have no intention of leaving your side as you deal with this.”

Harry’s wrapped his arms about her and squeezed. “Thank you ‘mione. I… there is no way I could deal with this nonsense without you.”

She sighed, leaning back to run a hand over his face, wiping a few tear streaks away before leaning in to kiss him. He was resistant at first as everything inside him roiled but first the knot and then his lips softened, their mouths opening, deepening the kiss. When that ended he sighed, running a hand slowly through her hair, lips barely parted. She smiled understandingly, “We’ll grab Luna and talk about all of this tomorrow so just let go what you can and rest. I’ll be here.”

This got his attention because it didn’t seem right. “Here?”

Hermione rolled her eyes before replying, “Honestly Harry, you have an emotional breakdown of sorts and I am just going to go back to my room and let you deal with it on your own? Not on your life mister. Now scooch over so I can get in there with you.”

That she was in her nightgown finally registered to Harry and some of his whirling thoughts stalled, as the sight of her in the light blue material burned into his mind. It was the same shade as her dress had been all those years ago. He moved over and they both got under the covers, shifting to get placed right. She curled into his side, kissing him sweetly on his lips before resting her head on his chest. “Night Harry.”

“Night Hermione.” It took a while for him to fall asleep as the tides of his emotions stilled but her warmth and touch helped him more than any draught ever had.


	28. Chapter 28

Chap 28

The trio was sitting in Harry’s sitting room after the DA meeting, resting before planning on doing some homework. Saunders had put them through their paces, running most all of them into the ground with jogging followed by dodging practice. The sweat was cooling on their skin a bit uncomfortably but they were all too tired to really move. Despite how tired their bodies were, clearly some minds were plenty active. Hermione turned her head to face Harry, hair more mussed than usual, strands having worked their way free from her ponytail, with a thoughtful look on her face. Harry sort of dreaded what was going through her head at this point when she asked, “So any idea what this power he knows not is?”

This was certainly not the question that Harry had been expecting. He had figured that it might be some DADA thing, or homework related, not something this important. He awkwardly replied, “Dumbledore thinks it’s love.”

“Love? Why would Love be that power?” Hermione sat up straighter when she said that, looking rather confused at that response.

With a sigh and a shrug, Harry answered, “I have no idea Hermione, but that’s what Dumbledore thinks, probably based on my mom sacrificing herself for me. I guess it makes as much sense as anything else.”

“This could be important Harry. If we can figure out what this power is then we can get to work training you with it. Give me a second.” Hermione bit her bottom lip in thought, eyes drifting upwards. Harry could almost hear the gears spinning away as her eyes moved back and forth, almost as if she were reading something. She began talking to herself, the way she often did while musing over a problem. It was something he and Ron had gotten so used to that it was nearly phased out. “Love. Love? Love. Love as a power. Love as a power he knows not? Not knowing love. Love as a weapon. _Love_ as a power? All you need is love. Love is all you need? No greater love…” She bolted upright, her eyes flying fully open, voice trembling as she continued, “No greater love… oh my God!”

Luna and Harry shared a look as they both slid upright, noting the increased tension, and faced Hermione, questions plain on their faces. The other girl looked frantic and at the edge of tears. “Don’t you two see? It’s right there. No greater love… love as a thing Voldemort knows not? Dumbledore not really training you to fight? All of it makes sense together and I wish it didn’t. It means that Dumbledore expects you to die Harry, or to sacrifice yourself.”

Harry blinked hard, a stab of pain and fear going through him. Death? Sacrifice? Sure he would do that in a fight but the way Hermione mentioned it, the whole things sounded less hopeful and filled him with dread. Luna seemed to be in a similar state, having gone even more pale. Harry’s voice was somewhat shaky as he asked, “Not to say that I doubt you love but how exactly did you arrive at that?”

Eyes filled with tears, Hermione replied, “Granted that this is a paraphrase, but I think the wording is close. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15 something, I think 13 but I’m not positive.”

Luna cocked her head, having some trouble following this particular divergence, “What does John have to do with anything? Do we even know a John?”

“It’s not a person Luna, it’s a book in the Bible. If Professor Dumbledore thinks that Love is the thing that Voldemort knows not, then as the quote goes, there is no greater expression of love than for Harry to sacrifice himself for all those he loves.” She was speaking rapidly, a tint of fear in her voice. “Think about it. From everything we know about the man he would never give his life for his followers. He is more likely to make one of his followers die in his stead than the other way around. Harry’s mother and father both gave their lives to try and protect Harry because their love for him was so great that there was no question and if Harry does the same thing, giving his life for others, Dumbledore might be counting on a similar event occurring, with the spell backfiring and killing the man yet again.”

“What the hell?” Harry was chilled by the absolute cold logic that was difficult or maybe even impossible to deny. Was this really his fate?

“It makes sense but I am not sure that is a truth. There are a lot of variables, including not really knowing what happened that night in Godric’s Hollow,” reasoned Luna.

“How is agreeing to die a power?” asked Harry, concerned with dying. He swallowed dryly, his heart thudding in his chest.

Luna was gazing at the ceiling, following the patterns that only she seemed able to see. “There could be several different ways for that to work but most of them end in the same result.”

“Several?” Harry hadn’t wanted his voice to squeak, but the testicle shriveling fear of possibly having to look forward to dying was effecting him beyond his ability to control.

“Yes, despite the fact that what you have presented is undoubtedly true however there are other possible interpretations that might have an impact on this,” mused Luna, still gazing at something unseen.

Hermione moved her gaze from Harry over to her girlfriend, “Such as?”

Luna’s head snapped down and her eyes focused intently on the here and now, “Well the Hallows might be one such possibility.”

Harry and Hermione looked at each other with some confusion. This was not a thing they were familiar with. “The Hallows?”

“Yes, the Deathly Hallows. My father is a Quester, having spent a fair amount of energy trying to hunt them down, trying to find clues as to their existence. So, due to that, I have heard about them for most of my life, so I am aware of the majority of the lore. The legend comes from the Tale of Three Brothers.”

At the blank looks, she related the story she had heard, mentioning that it was also in the collection of Beedle the Bard. She summed everything up by pointing out that the three items gifted by Death to the brothers were the Hallows. “In fact, Daddy thinks that the Potters have one of the Hallows as a family heirloom since they are related to the Peverels.”

“What?” Harry was overwhelmed by this bit of lore tying his family to anothers.

Luna smiled calmly back at Harry, apparently understanding his confusion, “From what Daddy said, one of the family lines, maybe Ignotus, married into the Potter family quite a while ago. From what he was able to figure out, the Peverel family seems to be the best bet as to the identity of the Brothers, since there were a trio of brothers in their line.”

Harry’s eyes widened as realization hit him. “Wait… so my father’s cloak might be THE CLOAK? Like the one mentioned in that story?”

Luna looked thoughtful, “It is quite possible. If your father used it and now you, then it certainly has lasted longer than most other cloaks of that nature. Most of those cloaks only work for a few years, at most a decade and yet your father’s cloak is still good?”

“Be that as it may, but how does that make either Death or dying a gift or power that Tom would know nothing about?” asked Hermione, cutting into the conversation with a salient point.

“Well, if you have access to a gift from Death…” started Luna.

Harry nodded cutting into that before they theorized him to death, “Okay… I see that. I really do. I just wonder if that is what the phrase means?”

Luna smiled slightly, somewhat reassuringly, “The thing about prophecy Harry is that no one knows what they mean until the prophecy has been fulfilled.”

Harry furrowed his brow in some confusion, “Trelawney never mentioned anything about that.”

The looks both Luna and Hermione gave him almost made Harry flinch back. He was actually a little worried about his personal safety. Hermione narrowed her eyes and asked in a very slow, controlled voice, “Do we really need to discuss her, again?”

“Nope. Sorry.” Harry held his hands up, surrending.

Luna giggled softly as Hermione rolled her eyes.

Harry realized he needed to change the topic so he drove ahead, hoping that this would save him from a world of pain, or at least tickling. “So, do I need the other Hallows or do you think the cloak will be enough?”

Luna looked thoughtful, eyes directed to the ceiling. “The Cloak hides you from death or perhaps gives you the seeming of Death. The Stone lets you speak with the Dead or perhaps even Death itself. And the wand holds the power of Death. I am sure Tom is busy looking for that wand, given the reputation it has as unbeatable. It was rumored that Grindelwald had the wand back in the 40s which means that Dumbledore might have it now.”

“There is no way that I am going to walk up to Professor Dumbledore and ask if he has the wand,” stated Harry adamantly, the mere notion stalling in his head.

“Think about it this way Harry, there is another power that Tom doesn’t know and is in fact afraid of, Death. Vol de Mort means flight from Death in French. His name basically states that he is afraid of Death. Because of this fear it is clear that he has probably spent a lot of effort to discover some way to keep from truly dying, hence his spirit in first year and his ability to return with a ritual after the Third Task,” explained Hermione. “So while Love is one approach, Death is easily another.”

“And I think that Tom might not be aware that getting the Death Stick means that Death has caught him, making him vulnerable to that as well,” added Luna helpfully.

Harry groaned and rubbed his now aching head. This was just getting to be too much for him to deal with and he had no idea what to do. Maybe he needed support if he tried to explain it to Professor Dumbledore? “You know… you both might need to come with me in order to explain that logic to him because I’m not sure I would remember it all. I can barely remember it all right now.”

Hermione grinned, pleased by his asking, “No problem Harry. If it keeps you from simply dying then I am all for it.”

“Ditto!” chimed in Luna, who leaned forward to hug Harry.

“Should we inform Saunders of all this?” asked Harry, looking at the closed door to the room the MI5 agent was currently in.

“Probably. If he knows, then he is another person who can stand in front of Professor Dumbledore and press our argument,” explained Hermione.

“Hermione’s right. Sassy will help make our argument for us. Besides, Dumbledore is usually so sure about things that he clearly has a wrackspurt infestation of some severity. I am not sure how to fix that, as some of the traditional methods will simply not work, but if we talk to him in a group it just might make it through that haze of self-assurance.” Luna tapped her chin thoughtfully, clearly trying to work out what to do in her head.

Hermione blinked a few times, turning to face her. “Wrackspurts can give you a great deal of self-assurance?”

“Oh yes.” Luna’s smile was mischievous. “Remember how you used to be before I helped clear up that infestation this summer?”

With a blush, Hermione nodded, giggling with light embarrassment. Harry wanted to know what happened between the two of them this summer even more than before. The hints of growing their closer and possible “dating” really effected his teenage imagination, kicking it into overdrive. Whether it was true or not didn’t ultimately matter because the image of the pale skinned Luna cuddled up to the sun warmed Hermione was very, very appealing. The contrast was enough to distract him. Not a night went by where that particular notion wasn’t a part of his nightly… stress relief sessions that helped him to sleep. “Uhm… so how exactly did you cure her?”

Hermione’s color deepened as Luna looked over at Harry, giving him an innocent smile before saying, “Well, you know Harry that treatment between a doctor and patient is strictly confidential.”

Images of Doctor Luna and Patient Hermione played through his mind, making his trousers a bit more uncomfortable than they usually were with such lascivious thoughts. Surely Luna wasn’t saying that they played Doctor, was she? His brain almost stalled, “Uh…”

Luna gave him an impish smile, leaned forward and kissed him lightly, winking as she pulled back. “We will discuss treatment protocols later.”

Now it was Harry’s turn to go beet red, as the blush reached new heights of heat, feeling like a sunburn. His mind spun with images straight out of a movie that he supposed he was never supposed to see nor Dudley supposed to have. The discomfort he was feeling in his pants pulsed in pain, the skin feeling as if it were stretched to breaking. He shifted in an attempt to relieve pressure.

Hermione’s eyes twinkled as she leaned in and whispered, “I’ll be happy to be your patient Harry.”

Knowing that in another moment or two he would have a rather embarrassing event occur in front of his girlfriends, Harry scampered away, trying to keep them from seeing his crotch. “Uhm… bathroom… sorry.”

As the door to his room closed he could hear their giggles which did little to address his… discomfort.

 


	29. Chapter 29

Chap. 29

Harry stood there staring at the small glass bottle in his hands, head cocked in confusion. The liquid inside the bottle seemed silvery, slick, odd to exactly describe. The emergency book he had grabbed when he had gotten to class had done this, not his own potions skill. Last night he had spaced in putting his potions book in his bag thanks to the girl’s teasing last night and this discovered text had great detail added to the margins, clarifying what to do and how to better prepare potions.

Somehow, thanks to the books directions, he had beaten Hermione in the contest Slughorn had held and made a more perfect potion than her. That was surely impossible. He knew how good he was at potions and it wasn’t at Hermione’s level let alone better. And then to have won this prize and to be told that maybe he was gifted with potions like his mother… it was almost too much. He had been standing in that unused classroom for at least fifteen minutes, maybe more trying to sort himself out.

Not knowing what else to do he slid the bottle in his shirt pocket, heading towards the library where he was to meet up with the girls before going to see the Headmaster. Dumbledore wanted to see him, not telling him why exactly, so he had no intention of doing so without Saunders, and most assuredly Luna and Hermione. He just knew that with them supporting him he would be able to face up to the Headmaster, maybe even have the courage to actually ask him if it was the man’s intention to allow Harry to die for the Greater Good.

What was the Greater Good even? Headmaster Dumbledore talked about it all the time and yet, never once had he explained what exactly the Greater Good he had in mind was. That had almost taken on a life of its own, letting people figure out what they thought the phrase meant. However there were too many strange actions in this school and in his life that could not be defended by words alone. To allow unchecked bullying to occur, to have a Muggle Studies program that was a joke, to allow him to almost die each and every year he had been here. Those were indeed things that couldn’t be explained just by believing the nebulous assurances that the phrase ‘Greater Good’ offered. This was something that needed clarity.

Also, there was more tactical training that needed to occur, such as learning to fire spells from behind cover instead of being exposed when casting. The practicality of his idea, to use SAS tactics when meshed with the fundamentals of spell casting got somewhat fuzzy. He needed to figure out ways where spells could more easily be cast without exposing themselves to return fire. Either having cover or not being there were the best ways of defense that he could think of. Needing to cast a shield could be problematic and wouldn’t stop all things. Cover and movement helped with that. No if only he knew how to do that.

He was so wrapped up in his musings that he failed to note someone had come up to him, standing in his way. The voice stopped him in his tracks. “Hello Harry Potter.”

Harry blinked, confused because the voice that usually greeted him in that manner was not the one that spoke. Looking up, he spotted Hermione before him and his eyes widened when he took her in. “Uh… Hello Hermione Granger?”

She seemed different somehow and it was hard for him to make out why. She was in her school uniform but that wasn’t it. Then it clicked and made less sense. For some reason, Hermione was wearing radish earrings, had a butterbeer cork necklace and her wand was tucked nicely behind her right ear. All in all, she resembled a bushy haired Luna, which was odd. What was going on?

“I… uh… you look different.” Words were failing him as he struggled to make sense of this.

Hermione cocked her head in a manner very reminiscent of Luna and smiled at him. She had gotten that particular mannerism down pat. Then another voice cut in, almost startling him. “There you are Harry. We need to get to Professor Dumbledore’s office so we can get that over with and then we begin our Essays for Potions.”

Seeing Luna dressed in a manner similar to Hermione’s usual wardrobe choices and lacking her trademarked jewelry choices made his confusion worse. She just didn’t look right. “…okay…”

The group of them walked down the hall, Saunders trailing behind. Well, actually Hermione was skipping as was more Luna’s wont. It wasn’t disturbing as much as disconcerting. If this was some sort of plan to make him so confused that Dumbledore could not manage to bother him they were succeeding. Saunders snickered some from behind them, obviously enjoying the show.

Upon reaching the Gargoyle, Harry said the password, some obscure candy he had never heard of. The Headmaster had a penchant for such candy based passwords that it might be possible to simply guess which candy it was. Then again, given how many types of candy were out there, it might be more difficult than he imagined. But honestly, was the man twelve?

Walking up the spiral staircase, they heard the Headmaster call for them to enter just before Harry managed to reach the door and knock. When he spotted the group entering his office, Dumbledore rose one bushy eyebrow at the size of the group and then a second when he registered how the girls were dressed. They settled down and he looked a bit chidingly at Harry. “Harry, I wished to speak with you alone.”

“Professor Dumbledore, Saunders here is my bodyguard assigned to me by the head of the DMLE. I doubt that he would leave if I asked. As for Hermione and Luna, I would tell them what you wanted to speak to me about anyway, so why not have them here to better understand.”

Dumbledore looked at them all over his glasses, seemingly disappointed with them all. Harry sighed, and then helped the girls to sit. He might as well grab the bull by the horns rather than simply wait. “You said we had something to discuss?”

Apparently figuring out there was little chance of changing Harry’s mind on this matter, Dumbledore nodded his acquiescence and began. “I wished to talk to you about Voldemort.”

This confused Harry. They had discussed this topic several times. “Okay… what about him?”

“I planned on showing you a memory of him so that you can better understand him.”

Harry narrowed his eyes some, not liking the way that came across. “I understand him well enough Professor. He is a psychopath bent on destroying everything and most especially focused on killing me.” His emotions calmed as Luna rested a hand on his arm. Harry let out a sigh and sat back. “What else is there really to know?”

The look could have made Harry feel like he was failing to understand except for the part where he really did get this. Undeterred, Professor Dumbledore said, “Everybody starts from somewhere Harry, as evil does not simply arise out of nothing.”

“Is there a reason for this, because I can’t for the life of me figure out why I might need to hear his sad life’s story and develop some sympathy for him?” Harry could barely believe what he was hearing. Was Dumbledore serious?

Hermione chimed in before the Headmaster could say anything further. “Clearly you have some sort of agenda at play here sir. It might save us a lot of time if you simply stated what it is you are trying to accomplish so we can move on.”

“Miss Granger, I am trying to help Harry build a better picture of Lord Voldemort, so that he is easier to understand as well as to help me figure out where… certain objects could be hidden as well as a possible number of them.”

“Do you mean the Horcruxes?” asked Luna so calmly they all ended up staring at her.

Peering at the blond girl intently for a while, trying to strip down to the truth, Dumbledore eventually nodded his head slowly, his voice hesitant, “I do. How did you come to know about such evil things?”

“My family is known for our obscure knowledge Professor, surely you were aware of that. Such as the fact that if a Horcrux was made of something gold, nifflers would refuse to have anything to do with it despite their love of things shiney. Just like I know you are aware of the fact that my father is a Questor, like yourself.” Her smile was so sweet and pure surely butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

The only sign the Headmaster was taken aback by her words, was a slight widening of his eyes. Harry had been paying attention to see what his response might be. “I see.”

Jumping back into things, Hermione asked, “Sir, while I have a great deal of respect for you, why are you not simply giving us, or rather Harry the information and training he needs to succeed in his task?”

Again a bit off balance by this change of direction, Dumbledore answered, “The knowledge of the prophecy and of the depravity of Voldemort were too much for a child to bear. I wanted Harry to enjoy his youth without such burdens.”

Harry scoffed, tired of this old lie. It annoyed him and indicated that he had been a happy child, something far from the truth. “I’ve never had a decent childhood sir. I was treated like a Malfoy House Elf by the Dursley’s and every year I have had to return to that prison. In addition to that, while I have been here at ‘the safest place in Brittan’ I have nearly died every year. I knew Voldemort was after me, wishing my death, ever since first year. What burdens were you trying to spare me?”

“Was it the fact that you wanted Harry to die?” asked Hermione matter of factly. “After all, if love is the power he knows not, there is no greater love than to give one’s life for others.”

Dumbledore reacted as if slapped. Harry wasn’t sure if it was Hermione’s statement that he wanted Harry to die, the prophesy phrase, or the last bit. Regardless, whatever it was, she had clearly rattled him. He leaned forward to press the advantage this gave them, “Sir?”

The Headmaster looked down at the surface of his desk, his body sagging in the chair. Harry had to admit he had never seen the man look older than right then. When he looked up, there was no twinkle in his eyes but rather the wetness of unshed tears. He looked at Harry rather plaintively, “Can you forgive a foolish old man?”

“Maybe?” Harry answered slowly. “What specifically do I need to forgive you for?”

“I… well there is no other way to say it… Harry, you are a Horcrux.” Dumbledore looked up and locked eyes with him. “There is a piece of Voldemort’s soul behind your scar, hence the reason for your connection. As terrible as it is, in order for Voldemort to be vanquished, you will have to die.”

Despite knowing it was a possibility, hearing that pronouncement was a bit stunning. Harry dropped back into his chair, the wind pulled from his sails. Die? He would have to die in order to end Voldemort forever? The girls each put a hand on his arms in order to provide comfort and support. He smiled at each of them, thankful for their help, and their different appearances did buoy his heart a little. They looked adorable like this. His girls were brilliant.

After a deep breath, which he let out slowly, Harry asked, “I see. So because I have to die, you have not trained me?”

Dumbledore looked Grandfatherly again, “I know this is a terrible burden to bear Harry and I wanted to spare you this pain.”

“Bollocks!” snapped back Harry, his sudden anger overcoming his rational thought. “What do you know about a death sentence hanging over your head?”

With a saddened look, Professor Dumbledore help up his blackened and withered hand, “This, my dear boy, will kill me before the end of the school year.”

The room was silent, the weight of these things filling each person there, the atmosphere on the morbid side. Fawkes flew over to the back of Dumbledore’s chair and began to sing. The music helped each listener come back from where their depressing thoughts had taken them. Luna, sensing the lull, took this opportunity to step back into the conversation, “Speaking of death, are you aware that Death is also something Voldemort knows not?”

His eyes sharpened in focus, boring into the young girl who seemed unaffected by the razor sharp gaze. In a voice far less grandfatherly and more warrior of the Light, Dumbledore asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well… Hermione explained that his chosen name means ‘flight from death’ in French. Given that he has worked so hard to become effectively Immortal, having claimed that he had gone farther than anyone to prevent his death, wouldn’t the power of Death be something he doesn’t know and is afraid of?” Luna cocked her head at the end, looking at Dumbledore with wide unblinking eyes.

To say the professor looked stunned was an understatement. It was clear that other possible interpretations of the prophecy had been missed. Luna kept going, making things worse, “And since we have two of the Hallows here, in this castle, don’t you think that their connection to Death might be more than Voldemort could bear? That the Hallows are more something he should fear?”

Dumbledore, still dazed from the idea, croaked out weakly, “Three.”

Harry jumped on that immediately. What exactly did the old man mean by that? “Three?”

Dumbledore nodded slowly. Reaching down, he slid open a drawer and pulled free a broken and burnt looking ring with an stone, untouched by the damage affecting the rest of the ring, sitting loosely in its setting. There seemed to be a flickering light of some sort dancing within, almost hypnotic. Harry felt a sort of pull, a call to the stone, as if it were singing to him softly to pick it up.

 “Yes Harry, three.”

 


	30. Chapter 30

Chap. 30

The silence in the room took on a whole new pressure as everyone in the room directed their focus to the cracked and burnt ring sitting on the desk. Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled free his wand, then sat it next to the ring. Harry was transfixed. The pull to these things grew even stronger. Harry found it difficult to restrain himself. He wanted to stretch out his hand and take them up, to make them his and that alone made it easier to hold back.

Luna’s smile was gentle as was her voice, “Congratulations Professor Dumbledore on being a successful Questor. You found all the Hallows.”

Harry was unsure but he thought he caught a slight wince at that. The Headmaster rested his hands on the desk and sighed heavily, his eyes resting on the two objects on the desk for a moment, clearly lost to time, before meeting the girl’s eyes. “Indeed Miss Lovegood. Though I must admit, that in large part the Quest was exciting, in truth, there is no joy in the finding.”

“What do you mean Professor?” asked Harry, concerned. This meeting had deviated seriously from what they had planned on. They had simply wanted some answers and information for a change. He felt kind of lost and was hoping that the girls could get the conversation back on track.

There was sadness in Professor Dumbledore’s eyes as they glanced up at the trio, regarding each in turn. His voice held the weariness of ages as he explained, “Everything I thought I knew about the Hallows was wrong. Here you have the Elder Wand, supposed to be unbeatable. This wand cost me the only love I ever knew. The cloak cost me friends I was loathe to lose, despite merely intending to borrow the item. And this,” gesturing towards the ruined ring with the surprisingly intact stone with his ruined hand. “This cost me my life due to my own lack of caution. Each of these objects brought me only death.”

Hermione the slightly narrowed eyed look on her face made it clear to Harry that her thoughts were racing, putting more pieces in place. She looked focused on something, following its invisible track with her eyes as she said, “But Professor, Harry’s family has had ownership of the cloak for ages and each individual has not suffered death until it left their hands. Do you think, that maybe, if the cloak hides you from Death, as the story suggests, then wouldn’t not having the cloak condemn them or at least open them to the possibility of death? Also, is it possible that since the Potters are family to the Peverels, then perhaps only members of that family can wield the Hallows without fear of the power turning against them? It would make sense since they were after all gifted them in the first place.”

Harry felt new sadness fall on him, thoughts spinning towards dreams of his family hiding under the cloak and escaping from Voldemort. Of growing up with his parents, thanks to the use of a family heirloom, enabling them to escape Death’s touch while they owned it. Of the safety and the love that could have been his if only. Of having grown up with Moony and Sirius as doting uncles. The fact that the dream could have been a reality if only the cloak had been there made Harry curl inwards; his heart aching from the weight of the might-have-beens.

Dumbledore spoke in a voice heavy with years and pain. That tone seemed so at odds with what they knew of the Headmaster that it was clear the man was serious. “If that supposition is indeed the case than I am sorrier than you will ever know for my part to play in your loss Harry. Because I had needed it for a mission, I asked and James was happy to let me borrow it. It is to my shame that I accepted. If only I had returned the cloak sooner, but events had distracted me.”

Harry couldn’t look up from the floor, the weight of his loss and the Headmaster’s accidental hand in his parent’s death was too much. Then he looked up, eyes wide, voice a bit broken as he spoke, something registering past the pain, “So… so does that mean you will give me the Hallows?”

“Yes my boy that is precisely what I mean.” There was no smile as he said that. “The stone is yours; however you must win the Elder Wand from me in a duel for it to be yours. It is a rare bit of wandlore but is true nonetheless. I believe you will find it less of a challenge than you might imagine while we duel.” There was heaviness about Dumbledore as he rose, age groaning through his movements. Once standing, he reached out with his left hand to take hold of the wand he had wielded for decades. He smiled faintly as he said, “Come, let us move to the side.”

Harry felt a bit numb as he rose to his feet, barely registering the touches from the girls wishing him both luck and safety. His legs felt weak and his heart was pounding a mile a minute, and he was unsure if it was from fear or excitement. Was this really going to happen? Was he going to duel Dumbledore?

They moved off to the side of the room, standing by the outer wall, both clearly unsure of what was about to occur. Dumbledore bent at the waist, surprising Harry into returning one. The bow was awkward and unsure though Harry stood ready.

Professor Dumbledore began by launching a silent stunner at Harry. Eyes widening in surprise, Harry barely managed to bring up his shield in time. He had only managed that feat thanks to the renewed training with the DA and with Saunders. He knew his skills had grown and this was a perfect example of it. He snapped of a quick Expeliamus, and suddenly found Dumbledore’s wand flying towards him. Thanks to his seeker reflexes he was able to pluck it out of the air despite his surprise.

As he held it and stared at the runes carved in, and the three wider sections cold trickled down his arm. Professor Dumbledore bowed his head in acquiescence, “And now the Elder Wand has changed loyalty. It is your wand now Harry from this point onward. I hope it brings you more happiness and success than it ever did me.”

The cold had faded and the wand was now warm in his hand. He felt a connection to it, one possibly greater than the one he had to his own holly and phoenix wand. This wand felt like an extension of his own hand. He just stared at it in wonder until Saunders nudged him towards the chairs.

Blinking in surprise, Harry blushed slightly and staggered over to the chair, more focused on the wand than moving. Once he managed to actually get seated, Dumbledore, who was already seated, slid the stone towards him.

Still in a bit of a daze from the duel, Harry plucked it up without really thinking about it. Though the stone had an odd warmth, similar to what he had gotten from the wand, he primarily felt as if he had been plunged into water colder than the Black Lake the moment his hand closed completely around it. The sensation was such a shock that he breathed in sharply, icy air filling his lungs, making them ache and burn. This seemed so much colder than February in the Highlands. His skin burned and his bones throbbed. With watering eyes, despite his own shivering, he noticed that no one was moving except Fawkes. Everything else had gone still… deathly still.

A voice spoke from behind him, hollow and deep, shaking through his body in a wave of dread. He knew that no one else had been in the room, nor had the door opened. Even still there was Saunders who was there to prevent something yet someone else was here! “Ah… a Peverel has finally rejoined the items. A pleasure Mister Potter.”

Wheeling round in fright, Harry spotted a figure that was distinct and indistinct, skeletal and flesh, floating just off the ground and wearing a ragged cowled robe. It was somehow worse than a Dementor and yet not. There was a feeling of… finality around them. Eyes wide, heart racing, mouth suddenly bone dry, Harry struggled for a reply when realization finally hit, able to only ask, “Death?”

The chuckle was not comforting. The figure gave Harry a bit of a mocking bow, clearly amused. “Yes.”

“So… uhm… does this mean that, like the legend, I am the Master of Death now?” Harry was unsure, because in the face of this being there was certainly no way that he could master it. There was a feeling of ancient and eternal in this figure, a preternatural calm, and a tangible aura of power that shook him. How could anyone even conceive of the idea of being this creature’s master?

The chuckle returned and Harry shivered, the cold eating deeper into him, fogging his breath. There was none of that from the figure as it spoke, “That is a title mortals seem to like. While the power the title seems to ensure is not a matter of fact, what it means however is that you, as the one that holds all three of my… gifts, can wield a measure of my power, greater than any one object could give. Nothing more.”

Harry swallowed dryly, the cold burning his nose as he breathed in, trying to make sense of this. All that power, even a fraction of it would be immense. There had to be a catch, a cost. “Am… am I supposed to work for you now?”

The figure turned its empty sockets, piercing eyes, his way, boring through to his very soul. Harry shivered from something other than the cold. Being under scrutiny by such a being was unnerving. It seemed amused with this question. Cocking its head slightly in appraisal, Death countered with, “Do you wish to?”

“Uh…” There was no real way to answer that. Yes or no would screw him over and there was no way he was going to make things worse. He had learned a few things over the years.

The rictus grin gave no reassurance nor did the dismissive wave of a hand, bones. “Never fear Mister Potter that is not required of you. Besides, it can be said that you are already working for in, in as much as you pursue the split soul of Mister Riddle.”

“Uh…” That was not something Harry had thought of. Was he…? Did this mean…?

There was that chuckle again, dunking Harry deeper into the cold. The voice was near laughter as it said, “I look forward to how you use my gifts.”

Heat rushed back into the world, tears filling his eyes for a different reason as sound and movement resumed. His breath caught and his eyes darted about, looking for the figure in each shadowy corner. Still shivering he was desperate to find the being, unwilling to let it hang about and afraid it might. Suddenly, the resumption of warmth hit him like the icy plunge had, mind spinning, body spinning, his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped as if his strings had been cut. Dumbledore and the girls started in surprise, “Harry!”

 


	31. Chapter 31

Chap. 31

Warmth bloomed through him, and he felt as if he were swimming up from great depths to wake. It took effort, more than he thought it needed, but he managed to drag his eyelids back, opening them to the world. It was bright, clearly morning, and as he took in more of the details it was clear he was in his usual bed in the usual room. That realization made him groan in annoyance. What was unusual was the presence of the two girls cuddled up against him in the expanded bed. This anomaly helped his brain find a gear and engage.

Luna and Hermione were both under the covers holding him, tightly cuddled up. He felt safe, warm, content there in their arms. This was good and right, something he was sure he wanted more of for the rest of his life. Then the last thing he remembered came back to him and he shivered.

“Mmmrrmrmrm… stop,” muttered Hermione.

Harry turned to face his longtime friend and girlfriend, smile soft on his face. It was difficult to fear Death when graced with such a sight. There was a slight line of drool coming from the corner of her mouth, soaking into his pajama top which had one of her hands fisted into. He leaned his head forward slightly and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

Turning the other way, he spotted Luna snuggled tight against him, one of his arms wrapped around her protectively. Her lips were pursed slightly, as if awaiting a kiss. It was difficult to resist that but the fact that it was more cute than sexy helped. She was just so adorable and he had little clue why someone like her had fallen for him? How in the world had he gotten so lucky? The only times his luck had been this good when he was fighting for his life. Having two girlfriends was supposed to be a huge fantasy and instead of feeling more manly and awesome because of that, he simply felt blessed. These two amazing women had given more than he had ever expected and he cherished them for that.

“Good morning Mister Potter. I trust you are feeling better?”

With a blush he could almost feel in his toes, Harry stammered out, “Yes.”

With a few waves of her wand, Madame Pomfrey nodded in satisfaction. It was clear that she had walked up while he had been gazing at his girls with adoration. “Good. Things seem to be much better than you were. Let me remove the gloves and socks and wake the girls.”

Another blush filled him and he realized that his hands were incased in thick woolen mittens, as were his feet. Apparently waking up with two girls cuddled up next to you were enough to distract you from other details. The girl’s moved some, the noise of the brief conversation seemingly enough to nudge them to wakefulness. Hermione let her hand loose and sat up, wiping the spot of drool on her cheek before she registered everyone about. Red faced, she straightened, unsure what to say. Luna snickered, leaned in, and kissed him on the cheek, “Morning Harry.”

“Morning Luna, Hermione. Uhm… Madame Pomfrey, why am I here?” Harry had no idea what could have happened that would have resulted in him needing the medical wing. Surely all he had done was pass out… right?

“I have no idea what you did Mister Potter but the results of this recent misadventure were rather annoying. You have been unconscious for the last three days with a nearly drained magical core. In addition, you somehow managed to get frostbite on your toes, ears, and fingers, and it was far worse on one hand than another. You were suffering from some degree of hypothermia as well. Your shivering only stilled with the ladies next to you so I allowed them to stay. Their added warmth didn’t hurt in bringing up your core temperature which was dangerously low, so I had no issue with their presence. I don’t know how you managed to have that happen to you in the fall, in the Headmaster’s Office, but I have realized after having you as a patient for several years is that no damage is beyond you.” There was a smile on her face as she said that, making him feel a little bit better. This kind of light teasing was something he rather enjoyed about his visits to the hospital wing.

“Thank you for your help Madame Pomfrey. I’ll try to avoid moments like that in the future.” Harry did sincerely hope that there were no other encounters with Death as it was exceedingly unnerving.

“Do try Mister Potter; I would appreciate it. I am seriously considering getting a plaque to put up, marking this as Your Bed.”

The teasing felt good and helped warm him within. In a way it was almost parental. He shrugged, “Well, I am in it often enough.”

“Indeed, ever since your first year. There are students that never see the inside of my ward in all their years here and yet you manage to do it several times a year. I do wish that we could have a year pass without your annual visit.”

“But wouldn’t you get lonely if I never came in to visit you?” Harry teased back, causing the girls to snicker slightly.

With a snort, Madame Pomfrey replied, “Hardly Mister Potter. The scans look good and you seem to be in good order.”

He grinned at her. “So am I clear to go?”

With an eye roll, she said, “You are. Drink something warm at every meal today and no cold food. You are also excused from classes for today, as are the ladies, to let your magic rest and ensure that your core has fully renewed, so no spells. Ladies, if he starts shivering I trust you know what to do. Are we clear?”

“Absolutely.” All three chimed in.

Once they were all bathed and dressed, the trio headed towards the Great Hall. The girl’s hands in his were warm and lovely. It helped to ground him in the world. They walked quietly, as Harry was clearly in his thoughts and the girls were probably worried about him. When they got there they spotted Ron at the Gryffindor table, working through a plate of food. The redhead spotted them, looked surprised, and stopped eating long enough to ask, “Hey mate, what happened? You weren’t in the Common Room the last few nights. I figured you and the girls were having quality time.”

“I was visiting Madam Pomfrey again.” What was it with Ron and implying that they were doing more than snogging?

“Seriously Harry? What is with you and that woman?” Ron eyes widened and he seemed seemed scandalized. “People are bound to talk.”

“Prat. Something happened to me and I woke up in there,” protested Harry.

Shaking his head, Ron said, “Only you Harry. I have no idea how you manage that.”

Luna chuckled at this byplay, saying, “Pure skill?”

“Oi!” Harry retorted somewhat irked with that poke at him.

Luna turned to him and quirked an eyebrow, her pale eyes boring into him. “Are you implying that you do not have an uncanny skill at ending up in the Hospital Wing Harry Potter?”

While the others got a laugh at that, Harry blushed and admitted, “Okay, that’s a fair point.”

He shivered slightly as a chill rolled through his body which prompted Luna to hug him, to share body warmth, while Hermione handed him a mug of tea. Harry took it thankfully and cupped both hands around it. The heat of the mug felt so good. That encounter with Death had to qualify as the most bizarre and terrifying that Harry had ever had, including Voldemort’s resurrection. There was just something about the calm assurance that Death had as well as the terrible cold.

Ron said something, but Harry missed it, lost in his memory of the encounter. “What was that?”

“I said that I tried to get to the Room of Requirement the last few days but I guess it’s busy or something. It wouldn’t open for me. And, stranger than that, there was a first year Hufflepuff hanging around outside.”

Harry looked confused, Hermione looked thoughtful, and Luna happily served herself more of the Tapioca pudding that seemed to show up at the table for her at every meal. Hermione, who had been tapping her lips in thought asked, “Who was she?”

Ron shrugged and set about refilling his plate, “She didn’t say, just looked really embarrassed and shy.”

Hermione leaned her head back slightly, eyes drifting towards the ceiling before moving about, a clear sign that her mind was awhirl and not actually here. The others waited while she worked, knowing better than to disturb her when she was like that. Ron had only done it once and the result had left an impression. The slight scar from her fingernails was enough to keep him in line.

She looked back down and right into Ron’s eyes. “Can you identify her?”

“What?”

“If we went over to the Hufflepuff table right now, would you be able to identify her if you saw her again?” repeated Hermione.

Ron wasn’t sure what she was talking about but nodded his head as he answered, “Sure.”

Harry looked at her, “What are you thinking?”

“Well, after talking to Susan and Hannah last year and this one, I know that the Hufflepuff first years are rarely out of their House when not in classes, and almost certainly not without an escort of an upperclassman. If you have noticed the first years all seem to end up at the Library as a group, and there always seem to be a few upper years nearby. They are aware of their reputation as a House and that it makes them a target for bullies. It’s part of the way they all stick together, safety in numbers.” Hermione smiled and then had some of her breakfast.

“Polyjuice?” asked Luna between bites.

“That is what I was thinking. That behavior, of being alone on the seventh floor, is atypical for a Hufflepuff firstie and that leads me to think of other possibilities.” Hermione summarized.

Harry and Ron shared a look and then turned to face Hermione. Ron asked carefully, as if not sure of what he was asking, “Are you saying that the Hufflepuff first year girl that I met was someone taking polyjuice?”

Hermione shrugged noncommittally, “I would say that it is a definite possibility. The easiest way to test that is to go over right now and ask her, but given that everyone is in here for breakfast, especially the Slytherins, it might be a bit tricky to hide.”

“Talk to Susan,” tossed in Harry just before having a rasher of bacon.

“About what?” Ron apparently missed the connection, but that could have been due to the attention he was paying his breakfast plate.

“You can tell her about what you saw, and so she can either talk to the firsties or bring them to you, so you can directly ask if they were on the seventh floor. If they know what you are talking about then it is nothing more than a lost little badger. If not, there might be a problem. In fact, any firstie acting out of the ordinary or in an odd place could be suspect.” Harry summed up what he was thinking. “I mean think about Ginny’s first year. She was acting out of the ordinary and nobody caught it. So that kind of behavior warrants attention.”

“You think?” Ron was clearly trying to clarify things in his own mind.

“Makes sense.” Luna put down her spoon and regarded the others. “Who would expect a firstie to be up to something?”

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look before dissolving into laughter. Luna rolled her eyes, and huffed slightly, “Clearly you three are outliers and should be discounted.”

 


	32. Chapter 32

Chap 32

Harry cursed and stormed from the school, younger kids scampering away from his glower. Fucking Snape! God damn the rat bastard. Who gave a shit that the man was a spy for the Light and apparently had been on good terms with his parents there at the end? So what that he and his mother had been childhood friends? The man was a prick and an arsehole, plain and simple. What the bloody hell! He had hoped that the man would have tempered how he acted some after their chat, but getting detention because he couldn’t cast silently, how did that make any bloody sense? Nobody else could do so, why was he getting singled out?

He kicked at the fallen leaves that were starting to accumulate, just trying to vent some of his anger. In thinking about it, he knew that he should probably gone to talk to the girls, as they were both very good at calming him down, at least in different ways. However, he had all but sped away from Hermione when class let out because he wanted to be alone, to be able to rant and rave to his heart’s content. Sure it might not be a good plan all told, but it was the one he had. He knew talking would help but what he really wanted was to talk to Sirius or Remus or… and this one hurt the most… his parents about what a berk Snape was being. He really could use some parental advice because Merlin knows he couldn’t count on the Dursleys to give him any.

Storming towards the Quidditch pitch, a realization stopped him in his tracks. The Stone. He had the bloody Stone. He could… he could actually talk to Sirius. Hell, he could even talk to his parents and finally hear their voices in something other than panic and fear. Even that knowledge was only courtesy of the foulest beings on the planet, which made him sort of loathe that knowledge. Their words in the graveyard had also tinged by the stress of him fighting Voldemort. No… hearing them without that would be… well he had no words for it.

Looking around him and finally noting where he was and realizing that where he had been heading was not conducive to properly communing with the dead, Harry needed to be elsewhere is he was going to do this and not get interrupted by one thing or other. He turned and headed towards the Forbidden Forest. If he recalled, just inside the treeline would be a good spot to do this since it would block view of him to anyone not actively looking for him. With that, Harry looked around, not seeing anyone before walking through a gap in the trees and into a small hollow.

At the bottom of that bowl his breath caught and his exhalation shuddered as grief washed through him. Now that he was apart from the others his grief washed back out in a rush. All because he hadn’t listened to Hermione when she had told him flat out that it was a trap Sirius was dead. All because he had trusted Snape to warn the Order, Sirius was dead. It was his fault. All his fault. Eyes closed and grew wet with tears as he fumbled for the Stone. He rolled the stone in his hands, thinking of the man he had gotten killed, of his happy smile and warmth. There was a rush of cold and a familiar but somewhat hollow voice spoke up, “Hey Pup.”

Eyes snapping open, Harry faced the ghost in disbelief. It was one thing to know that the Stone could call back the departed; it was another one altogether to experience. He stood there unsure what to say as another wave of grief overtook him. Dropping to his knees, tears starting to run down his face, Harry stared at the leaf strewn ground as he sobbed out, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Oh Sirius I am so sorry.”

“Harry?” There was no response as Harry wept, feeling his heart break all over again. “Harry?” The boy kept muttering his sorrys like a rosary, letting out more of the pain that he had kept trapped inside. “Harry!”

At the shout, Harry looked up at the ghostly figure of his godfather in confusion, the pain clearly etched on his face.

With a sigh, Sirius came over and crouched down, looking Harry in the eyes as he said, “Harry, it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was.” Harry’s voice choked briefly before he continued. “If I had remembered the mirror, or… or listened to Hermione all of that wouldn’t have happened.”

Sirius’ face softened even more, compassion filling his voice, “Harry, what if’s never help anyone. Yes those would have helped but honestly, the reason I died is because I wasn’t taking the fight with Bella seriously. I was counting on being the Head of House to keep me safe against her as I was showing off for you, trying to save the day. It was my bad luck that saw me hit by a simple stunner and fall through the Veil. That’s all.”

“But you wouldn’t have been there without me being there,” mumbled Harry, unable to refute what Sirius said.

The ghostly Sirius shrugged, “That may be true but I was told several times to stay at Grimmauld Place, to stay out of the fighting. I just couldn’t stay trapped in that house if you were in danger. I just couldn’t. So I rushed out as recklessly as you had.”

“But…”

“Harry, it’s okay. I understand. I forgive you. There is no blame coming from me to you over this, okay?” Sirius looked like he wanted to touch Harry before pulling his hand back.

Harry’s eyes were filled with tears as he gazed up at his godfather, though less pain than had been there before. With a weak smile he said, “Thank you.”

“Now…” Sirius stood, rubbing his hands together in excitement. “Tell me about these girls.”

It was with a rush of blood that Harry looked down, his cheeks burning as blood rushed into them. After having gotten the Talk from Sirius he wasn’t sure if he wanted tell the man anything. There was no doubt in him at all where this whole thing would lead. He just didn’t need the teasing. Knowing he had to do something to derail this, with a quick spin of the stone and another rush of cold two more figures joined them. A male voice that he vaguely remembered quipped, “Yes son. Tell us all about these girls.”

“James!” snapped a female voice that could only be his mum. “We can talk about them later.”

Harry looked up to see the forms of his parents. They looked so young, far younger than Sirius, in fact they were maybe only a handful of years older than he was now, which felt kind of odd. His heart ached for their lost time and his, breath catching some at the rush of emoton.

Turning from chiding her husband, Lily Potter gazed upon her son once more, a pleased smile on her face. “Oh Harry, you look so grown up.”

“Thanks Mum.” Harry felt his heart lift some. Here was a chance to get to know his parents without the stress of Dementors wanting to eat his soul or coming out of Voldemort’s wand while fighting for his life in the Graveyard. It was the first time he had heard their voices without fear or panic running through them and it was amazing. He knew he had to say something but words sort of failed him as usual. “Uhm… so… how’s death?”

James and Sirius both collapsed into each other and slid to the ground laughing so much that it was clearly hurting them, even though they were incorporeal and thus had no need for things like air. Putting his face in his hands, Harry groaned in annoyance with himself. He sounded like an idiot.

Lily growled at the two men, reminding Harry of Hermione all of a sudden. It even made him stand a little straighter. She turned back to him, irritation fading from her face as she did so, saying, “Death is fine, different but fine. It is hard to explain Harry. Words can’t really express this. Dumbledore at least got this right; it is the next great adventure.”

“I miss you Mum.” Harry’s voice was thick with emotion, though he was heartened by her words.

Lily looked over at her husband who was looking back, “We love you too Harry and always will. Now, why don’t you tell us about these two girls who have fallen for you.”

“Mum!” Harry eyes snapped open, shocked that she had brought it up.

“What? A mother can’t be concerned over her son’s love life?” teased Lily lightly.

The faint chill in the air did little from keeping his face from burning so much his skin tightened uncomfortably. How was he going to explain to his Mum that he was in a threesome? “I… I thought you wouldn’t approve?”

“Well, at first she didn’t but the old dog and I explained to her about House law and such which sort of helped. I am proud of you for finding two women who clearly love you and have feelings for each other. I am sure it will keep things from being divisive as time goes by.” His Dad stood and came close to his wife, putting an arm around her waist.

“I get it now and I do like what I have seen of these two but Harry, why don’t you tell us about them?” She grinned at her son. “I’d like to get to know them a bit better.”

Harry groaned and with stuttering words, talked about Hermione and Luna, doing his best to ignore the comments Sirius threw in for good measure. Of course those were mostly about Hermione but they were rather unhelpful. As he told his parents about the girls he loved, what they were like and why he loved them, he could feel his blush and embarrassment fade. It lightened his heart so that he could look up and thus saw the discomfort the three shades were feeling. Eyes wide he broke off in mid-sentence about Luna, “Mom? Dad? Sirius? Are you alright?”

“Sorry Pup, it… well it hurts to be here like this. Talking to you again is wonderful but the longer it goes the harder it would be on all of us,” explained Sirius.

Casting his eyes over to his father, Harry saw him nod in agreement. “It’s true Son. Being here in this place, with you, neither alive nor dead is… painful. Now I am not saying you can’t call us again but in a way this… this is like the Mirror of Erised, you want us here and we want to be here but that can’t be. The dead and the living aren’t the same. Even true ghosts are closer to life than we are. If you call us all the time Death will sing you to us and your mother and I would rather have you live a long life with those two witches you love so well and give us lots of grandchildren.”

Tears burned down Harry’s face. It felt like he was losing them again after the Stone had given them back. “But… but…”

Lily moved closer, eyes soft and filled with love, “Hush my darling. This is not goodbye. You know now that we will be together again in time. There is no need to rush. We will be here when you get here and then we can be together again. And I am sure we will speak more than once before that time.”

Harry nodded, words unable to form as it felt like his heart was lodged in his throat. He would give anything to be able to hug them. As it was he gave his mother a faint smile.

“There now… why don’t you let your dad and Sirius go? I have something I wanted to tell you that they don’t need to be here for and the pain for them will end when you let them go.”

Wiping the tears from his face, Harry nodded and let their Shades go with a slight tumble of the Stone. As they faded he could swear he heard faint ‘Love you’s from one or both of them. His heart ached at that, even though it heartened him. Taking a deep breath to center himself, he glanced back up and at his mother.

“Harry, before you let me go, never doubt that we love you. Our love for you has never faded and though we have often wished to be by your side, we have watched over you as best we could. Now… what I wanted to say I can’t say directly. It is in regards to the Hallows. What you need to do is try to figure out exactly which form of master is involved in being Master of Death. Your girls can help you with that I am quite sure. I can tell you no more.” The shade moved closer and he felt the faint brush of cold against his cheek as his mother kissed him. His heart clenched as he realized what she had done. “Remember that this moment is a gift and shouldn’t be abused, but a gift nonetheless. Live your life Harry. Your father and I are so proud of the man you have become. I love you Harry.”

The stone burned in his hand like ice as Harry stood there, face wet with tears, looking at the spot where the shade of his mother had been.


	33. Chapter 33

Chap. 33

 

Hermione leaned over and hugged Harry, her voice filled with pride. “That was a good thing you did.”

Harry shrugged. “I figured that after I talked to my parents and Sirius that maybe Luna would like to talk to her mom. I mean…” His voice tightened and stopped, emotion choking the words.

Tightening her grip, Hermione pulled him against her. She planted a kiss on his temple. “You are a good man Harry James Potter and deserve all the love you get. The fact that you even thought of this shows what a good partner you are. I am positive Luna will cherish this gift you gave her forever.”

Harry’s smile was on the weak side but at least there. His emotions were still in turmoil but there wasn’t much he could do about that. Ever since his chat with his parents and godfather his emotions were going a little bit of everywhere. As a bit of an emotional wreck he was thankfully, what with Draco being all secretive, there wasn’t anybody really pushing his buttons, allowing him to deal with all of this at his own pace. That reminded him that they needed to find out what the ferret was up to. The blond hadn’t been bugging the Gryffindors which was odd enough to have gotten noticed even by people not in the DA.

He and Hermione sat in silence, her arms still around him holding him against her. She smelt of comfort and home to him and honestly he had no idea how he had gotten so lucky. Being with her had been something he had dreamed of but never thought would come true. Closing his eyes, he luxuriated in her arms, forgetting about Voldie and the Death Munchers, simply being to the best of his ability. It was nice.

The pull of the stone changed and Harry cracked his eyes, looking towards the room where Luna had gone. The blonde in question walked into the room, face blotchy from crying, eyes red. She sniffled pathetically, looking at the two of them with imploring eyes. They both opened their arms to her and she ran to them, burying herself in their comfort, trembling.

After a moment of holding the blonde, Harry looked over to the tallish ghost who was smiling at the trio. The smile it gave them was melancholy. “Thank you Harry. I have missed my Little Moon so very much and you gave me the opportunity to have the goodbye we had been robbed of. Thank you.”

“No problem Mrs. Lovegood. It was my pleasure.” He smiled at his love’s dead mother.

With a nod of her head, she said, “Be safe my love. We will meet again on the other side of the Veil. I’m ready to go.”

Harry nodded his head as Luna managed to get out a teary, “Bye Momma.”

With a simple turn of the stone the ghost faded, a smile still on her face until nothing remained.

Hermione rubbed the frail girl’s back, asking gently, “Are you okay love?”

Luna only nodded, still clutched to the other two.

“I am sorry if this hurt you.” said Harry, his heart aching for the harm he seemed to have caused. “I wanted it to be a nice thing for you.”

Luna sat up from where she was laying, staring into his green eyes, her smile a bit wobbly. “No Harry, thank you. I have missed her so much and being able to talk to her, even this way is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given. You have no idea what this means to me.”

Thinking back to the conversation he had had with his parents earlier, he smiled weakly, “I think I do.”

Hermione tightened her arms around the two of them, trying to physically let them know what her words said, “It’s okay loves. I have you.”

The trio lay there awhile, their emotions calming in the loving embraces. The door to the suite opened and Saunders stepped in, blushing a little at the scene, since Hermione was kissing Luna softly on the lips.  “Uhm… sorry to barge in on you like this, but I think I have discovered what Malfoy is up to.”

Sitting up quickly, all three focused on the MI5 agent, cuddling forgotten. “What?”

Holding up the Marauder’s map, Saunders replied, “From what I have seen, he keeps going into the Room of Requirement. One or both of his thugs are there, standing watch, and I’m guessing they are either glamoured or under polyjuice while they are doing so, looking like the First year girls Ron has mentioned. What he is doing I don’t know but that’s where he is most of the time.”

Sharing a look, the three stood, getting their wands out. Something needed to be done. Harry asked, “Is he there now?”

After a quick glance over the map, Saunders said, “Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

The four of them moved quickly towards the tapestries depicting dancing trolls and with some quick spells from the former Hit Wizard, the two little girls standing and leaning against the wall were down and bound. Harry looked at the wall, not spotting a door, despite knowing that it should be there. Frowning, he cast a finite, thinking it was hidden but nothing showed. He rested his hand against the stone and asked for the door to where Draco was over and over.

Not expecting anything to actually happen, he was rather surprised when a rather old and worn looking door appeared under his hand. Looking behind himself and gauging to see if the others were ready, Harry slowly opened the door.

The room beyond was filled with small mountains of junk, from books, to old robes, to broken pieces of furniture, to more things than Harry could categorize at a glance. There seemed to be narrow pathways wending through the piles, though there was no indication as to where Malfoy was in this vast hall. Hermione floated in the two transformed thugs and looked at Harry for guidance as the door closed, leaving them in this room.

Speaking softly, in case they could be overheard, Harry whispered, “We should break into teams and look for the ponce.”

Saunders gestured, indicating he and Luna and Harry and Hermione should be the teams. With a nod they agreed, deferring to the older man’s experience. Moving as silently as they could, the pairs split up and moved cautiously down the trails, trying to keep to cover as best they could. After a while, they could hear a very familiar muttering from up ahead. With a grin, Harry and Hermione moved towards the sound.

Maybe the ponce was scared, or something but when they caught sight of him he spun and cast at them, a red bolt of light streaking towards them. Both leaned into cover before bracketing him with a pair of stunners. The blond dropped to the floor like a puppet with cut strings, wand clattering from his hand. As they moved closer, to where the boy had been working Hermione gasped. Without looking away from the unconscious Slytherin, Harry asked, “What?”

“Harry, that looks just like the thing they were talking about at Borgin and Burkes this summer.”

Cutting his eyes away from the blond briefly, he did note that it seemed familiar. There was also something else that Harry sensed but wasn’t able to figure it out. Hermione send her Patronus to summon the others.

When the others reached them, Harry was looking around, trying to figure out what was bothering him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Saunders looked down at the blond and frowned. “Luna, Hermione can you figure out what that is? Harry, grab Malfoy and follow me.”

One Levisoa later, the two of them walked in silence for a bit until they were sufficiently out of sight of the two girls. Saunders cleared an open area with a wave of his wand, shifting the walls of debris back. With a glance at the black haired boy, “Can you get that house elf friend of yours?”

Unsure as to what was going on, but following the Agent’s lead, Harry called out, “Dobby!”

With a pop the overeager house elf was there, bouncing on his toes in excitement. “Yes Master Harry? What can Dobby do for you?”

Harry looked towards Saunders questioningly. Saunders asked, “Dobby could you grab the large Doctor’s bag that’s in my wardrobe?”

With a nod of his head, Dobby vanished only to reappear shortly, holding the handles of the bag in both hands. Saunders conjured a plastic sheet over the floor, and then summoned a small table and a chair, which he sat in the middle of the tarp, the table off to the side a hair. More wand work later had Malfoy bound to the chair. Nodding in satisfaction, Saunders turned to Harry, “Harry, I am going to interrogate Malfoy here. It will be very uncomfortable for you and especially for him but I am going to do my best not to hurt him. I am going to use a technique called fear up; basically scaring him into revealing everything we want to know. Just act naturally to whatever I do but don’t interfere.”

Confused, Harry nodded and stepped off to the side, where Saunders had gestured for him to stand. That way he would be in Draco’s line of sight. “Ready?”

After Harry’s response, with a quick Ennervate, Draco began to stir, realizing that he was bound. He was nervous until he spotted Harry and his arrogance returned. A pleased sneer crossed his face, “You are going to get expelled for this Potter.”

“Not my show Malfoy.”

Draco cut his eyes over to the man standing behind the table casually pulling items out of a black bag and setting them down onto a metal tray with a slight clink. Pulling a scalpel out, Saunders turned it as if appraising the edge, a pleased smile crossing his features. Then came several pliers, heavy duty wire cutters, a bone saw, garden shears and scissors, as well as what seemed like sharpened metal knitting needles. Harry fidgeted uncomfortably. Having been exposed, however briefly, to muggle cinema, Harry was very familiar with what those tools could do and what they were obviously there for.

Saunders then pulled free two syringes from the bag and two opaque vials. Draco struggled to get out of the chair, testing his bonds. As Saunders filled one of the syringes with a clear liquid, he commented in a bored tone, “Don’t struggle Mr. Malfoy, it will only make things worse.”

Capping the needle again, in proper protocol, he picked up a pair of scissors and headed towards the restrained boy. Draco struggled more, the plastic tarping crinkling noisily from that and the measured steps moving towards him. Reaching down, Saunders cut the sleeve of Draco’s dress shirt, up past his elbow, exposing his Dark Mark for all to see. Tsking, Saunders pulled a strip of plastic tubing from his pocket. A quick tourniquet was put on Draco’s upper arm. Saunders grinned at the boy, a rather disconcerting grin. “Do you know what sodium penethol is Mr. Malfoy?”

The blond’s voice was a touch shaky as he answered, “No.”

“Pity. Well, it is the muggle version of veritaserum. It’s not as effective as the potion, to be sure, however it does a fine job. Once injected you can tell the chemical is beginning to work by the flush of heat you’ll feel and the salty metallic taste you will have in your mouth. Additionally, there will be a racing heart and sweating, among other symptoms.” With that, Saunders carefully slid the needle into a vein, depressing the plunger, pushing the clear liquid into the boy.

Draco looked frightened, glancing from his arm to the syringe that Saunders held to Harry and back, he swallowed dryly and said, “When my father…”

A snort of derision from the MI5 agent brought the trembling boy up short. “Please Mr. Malfoy, like I am frightened of your father. Besides, I am sure you have noticed that he isn’t here.”

Letting that idea sit there for a moment, Saunders sat the needle down on the tray, before turning back to him. “Another thing about sodium penethol Mr. Malfoy is that it enhances the pain receptors of the body. Not as bad as a cruciatus, but this is less likely to drive someone insane. It merely makes… certain physical questioning techniques more persuasive. Let me check to see if it is ready.”

Harry twitched and looked away as Draco struggled harder to escape the ropes. What was the man doing? Draco screamed and Harry looked back to see that Saunders was pinching the fleshy bit between the lips and the chin, appraising the blond clinically. “Nice… very nice. Yes I can work with this.”

“Uhm… Saunders?”

The agent moved over the table, picking up various tools, contemplating them before putting them down. “Yes Harry?”

“What are you doing?”

“My job. Mr. Malfoy here will tell us everything he knows about the Dark Lord and what he has been tasked to do and maybe if he is very lucky we will heal him before obliviating him.” Settling on one of the large metal needles he moved back towards Draco.

With a gulp Harry asked shakily, “Heal him?”

With infinite patience, Saunders replied, “Yes Harry, heal him. We aren’t monsters. I can even reattach removed ears and fingers if I do it early enough. Now hush. I need to concentrate on my work.”

The needle rested into the hollow between the clavicle and the scapula, closer to the neck than the shoulder joint. He pressed down lightly, Draco’s wince obvious as the pressure increased. “Now Mr. Malfoy, I believe you were going to tell us a story?”

Draco yelped out a few times, as the needle was pressed into different areas of flesh. Harry squirmed in great discomfort. This… this was torture. It couldn’t be anything else. Saunders nodded again as he leaned away from his work, pat Draco on the head before heading back to his tray of tools. “Very nice Mr. Malfoy. You managed to make it through stage one without failing. Unfortunately, time is not on our side so I will have to up the stakes. Never doubt, you will talk.”

Holding shiny stainless steel garden hand shears, he moved back to the Slytherin with a rather cold grin. He accioed a small stick, one that was about as big around as Draco’s fingers, holding it ready to cut. “Now Mr. Malfoy, I am going to demonstrate what this tool will do to your fingers. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us before I start. You are right handed, yes?”

With a little strain, the shears snapped through the stick, leaving a clean cut behind. Draco turned green and glanced over at Harry with pleading eyes. Harry, whose stomach was clenching as well, spoke up as Saunders pulled Draco’s right Pinky away from his hand, sliding the blades of the shears on either side of the short digit.

“Saunders, stop!” exclaimed Harry. Draco looked over at the Gryffindor with silent thanks, tears of fear rolling down his face. Harry had never seen the boy look so pale.

“No Harry. Mr. Malfoy has not told us anything yet so I must continue. I am sure that removing a finger or two will loosen his tongue.”

“Potter… Harry… please,” plead Draco, fear clear in his eyes.

“Ah, you can talk. Good. I was almost afraid you were mute.” He tightened his grip on the shears until the steel blades kissed skin. “Last chance Mr. Malfoy before the pinky is gone. That will certainly affect your wand work.”

“Saunders!” yelled Harry, pulling free his wand, pointing it at the agent.

In a disappointed tone, Saunders answered, “Harry, I thought you understood the severity of things. As a branded Death Eater, Mr. Malfoy here is a terrorist bent on overthrowing the legitimate government of this country. Furthermore, he is a rapist and murderer in his own right, torturing and killing muggleborn like your Hermione for sport. Due to that he has no rights. He talks or they die. It’s that simple.”

Draco yelped again as the blades tightened a hair, his voice cracking, “No! No! I’ll talk. I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything just please, don’t cut off my finger.”

Saunders relaxed his grip and pulled the shears free, a faint red line on either side of Draco’s finger. Setting up a dictaquill over some parchment Saunders fiddled with a scalpel as he said, “Now Mr. Malfoy, why don’t we begin?”


	34. Chapter 34

Chap. 34

Harry stormed into the apartment, growling to himself, the energy of his magic thick about him. Hermione, Luna, and Saunders were all trailing behind, keeping a careful eye on the Boy-who-lived. When the door closed behind the last one in, Harry exploded as he kicked the couch, “Bloody fucking godamned Malfoy! Why the fuck? What the fuck? I mean why the fuck? Damnit!!”

Hermione tentatively reached out towards him but pulled her hand back worriedly, not sure if he would welcome the touch or not. “Harry, what is it?”

Harry glared past her at Saunders, who stood there impassively, “You explain. I’m too pissed off right now to be coherent.”

The MI5 agent sighed and rolled his eyes. Clearly he was thinking that this sort of behavior was not professional. “As you no doubt gathered, we interrogated Malfoy. As things progressed in the questioning, he was quite forth coming with information, nearly gushing at times. However, a good bit of that information upset your boyfriend.”

Hermione rolled her eyes as well at the non-answer, “Yes I can see that. Thank you for the most secret agent answer you have ever given. What exactly was the information so I know why Harry is so upset?”

Saunders chuckled slightly, “Okay, hear me out before you jump in. It seems as if Malfoy is supposed to kill Dumbledore on Voldemort’s orders, thanks to his father’s failure at collecting the Prophesy.” The girls gasped. “In addition, he is also supposed to fix the Vanishing Cabinet located in the Room of Requirement so there can be an invasion of the castle when it is all ready. On top of that, and what really set off Harry, was that Malfoy begged him as the Head of House Black to keep him and his mother safe in the upcoming war.”

“He what?!” exclaimed Hermione, eyes growing wide.

Luna nodded, looking off towards Harry. “That does make sense.”

Hermione rounded on her. “It does?”

“Well, yes. If you think about all the clues it is really simple addition. Draco has been acting out of character, withdrawn, didn’t come and taunt the group on the train, avoiding all others. Now knowing what the interrogation shows it fits.”

Hermione stopped and looked thoughtful, wanting to ensure she was not flying off the handle. “Okay… fair point. Do you think that maybe things got a good bit too real for him, with this task and his father being sent to Azkaban that now he is panicking?” 

Saunders nodded, a pleased smile on his face, “That is my assessment. I am fairly certain he turned to our side when Harry finally relented and offered to protect Malfoy and his mother to the best of his abilities.”

Harry was still cursing and kicking objects that really wouldn’t hurt his feet too much. Under no circumstances did he want to explain to Madame Pomfrey how he had hurt himself while being this angry. Luna sighed at the actions of her boyfriend and went over to Harry, grabbing his shoulders, turning him and promptly planting a kiss. Harry struggled against the kiss briefly before giving in to it, losing himself to everything. It was a lovely kiss which grew softer and deeper the more he relaxed into it. Luna broke off finally, panting slightly, “My… that was lovely.”

Harry looked at Luna lovingly, the tension all but bled off him. “Thanks.”

“You are quite welcome Harry. Now are you back with us?”

Pinking a little, Harry replied, “Yes. Sorry.”

Hermione had been looking thoughtful since before the kiss, putting pieces of information together like a vast puzzle. “What powers does a head of house have, exactly? I mean, can you annul marriages of those in your House, call in debts, things like that?”

“What do you mean?” asked Harry, not really following this new tack.

“Well, you are the Head of Houses Black and Potter so that has to come with something besides a nice title. I was wondering just how much power that actually gives you, politically and otherwise, especially with family members. Honestly, it’s not a route we have explored before so I am unsure what benefits we have access to.”

Saunders nodded, “It’s a good route to follow and also something unexpected. Wizards and witches are so used to the status quo that this sort of change in the rules is not something they would normally consider. In this situation, having access to different types of power is important as you can play things off each other. I need to go and check in with MI5. Besides the information I told you, some of the things Malfoy spoke of provide a few target rich environments that people from my department can attend to if they move quickly on them. However before I leave, do you want to leave the vanishing cabinet alone?”

Harry shrugged, unsure what to do. He looked over at Hermione who nodded, which gave him several options. “I think so. If it is a route that Death Eaters are planning to take into the castle than it is a great tool to set up an ambush and drop whoever is sent. I mean, depending on how fast people can move from one cabinet to another it might be child’s play. We might be able to get a few of the Inner Circle members that way, which would be a coup, as I can’t see Voldemort messing up the opportunity by sending raw recruits to accomplish his goals here.”

Hermione nodded slowly, “True but we would have to work with Malfoy on that as he is the one who has been given the directions.”

Turning his gaze to the ceiling, Harry dropped onto the couch and sighed heavily, “I guess you’re right. He would know all the things he is supposed to do in order to let them know it’s ready. Christ… when did life get so screwed up?”

“October 31st 1980.” Luna’s voice was sad when she said that.

Harry sank deeper into the couch, the weight of everything bearing down on him. For a moment it all seemed so much, too much. The pictures of his once happy family. His godfather’s face as he slid into the veil. The look of infinite sadness when Dumbledore told him that he was dying. “You’re right. I’m just so tired of this. That bastard ruined my life and I just want to live.”

“And so now you get to ruin his. The more ideas we have and try the more his easy take over fails. If you think about it, he is expecting the Harry from the Graveyard and the Ministry who acted before thinking and survived mostly on luck. He is underestimating you thus letting Wrackspurts in to muddle his thinking, for which I am glad. For all that he is a Dark Lord, he is pretty stupid and lazy.”

A wry smile was all that Harry could turn to Luna. Given everything that he had learned about the man, those were not two words he would have thought to apply to him. “Thanks. That actually helps. Any ideas?”

Hermione went from looking thoughtful to chuckling. Harry looked at her in surprise, “What?”

“I wonder… given that Wizarding society is so backwards in so many ways, practically like something out of a Jane Austen novel, we might be approaching this side of things from too modern a point of view. I mean, could you as the head of House Black annul the marriages of Narcissa and Bellatrix, demanding repayment of the dowry?”

Harry stared at Hermione, his mind barely contemplating the shear chaos of such an action and then began laughing. “Oh Merlin, that would be so wrong and so funny. Honestly, Sirius would love the whole idea. It is a tremendous prank if we could pull it off. Hey, do you think that as Head of House Black I can demand that they present themselves to me when I do this?”

Luna bit her bottom lip looking out into the distance. “I think we need to ask someone that might really know before we take this line of thought too far. Perhaps Gringotts? They more than any other group in our society know the ins and outs of House laws.”

“I’ll set something up.” Harry turned to his desk and quickly wrote out a letter to his account manager. The sooner they could attack this the better it would be for everyone. Ruining access to the Malfoy fortune and gutting the Lestrange one as well might cut Voldemort’s legs out from under him. Ideology was all well and good but people had to eat and bribes had to be paid. As he closed the letter and turned there was a soft hooting from the window. Beaming at the white owl, Harry gushed, “Hedwig, you are so brilliant! Could you take this to Gringotts for me?”

With a nod and an outstretched foot, Hedwig indicated her answer.

As his owl winged off towards London, Harry felt some of the anger and stress from earlier finally bleed off. They had the makings of a plan at the moment and perhaps this would work out in the end. Now all he had to do was figure out some way to play the Wizengamot and life would be good.

HPGWHPGWHPGW

“I am so glad that Dumbledore allowed us out for this.” said Hermione, trying to ensure that the visual that she gave, of a Pureblood Princess on her way to the bank was nigh unto perfect. Looking like this anyone who might spot her in the bank would fail to recognize her.

Luna smiled, adjusting her witches’ hat to sit at a jaunty angle. She wasn’t nearly as worried about the disguise aspect of things, just enjoying dressing up. “I think he is just upset that he didn’t think of this sort of approach and wants to help us.”

Harry smiled at the two women, feeling his heart soar. These two were beautiful, brilliant, and for some reason beyond his understanding, in love with him. Without any doubt, that made him the luckiest bloke in the whole world. Despite all the negatives in his life, these two women made everything better. He just wanted this damn war over and done with so he could get onto the business of living with them forever and ever. “We need to get going. Saunders said he would meet us there.”

The Floo deposited the trio into Gringott’s Bank with ten minutes to spare before their appointment time. Punctuality would show the goblins that they were being respected. Besides, he had to learn how to play this game, of the Lord of an Ancient and Noble House if their rough plans made last night were going to amount to anything. While he might not like this kind of pompous shite, it was yet another weapon in his arsenal that he had no real experience using. Besides, he was sure Bloodroarer would find things most amusing once let in on the whole plan.

They were led through the corridors, spotting a few customers who barely glanced their way, and reached Bloodroarer’s office with one minute until their meeting time. Goblins were scarily efficient most of the time. The guard knocked on the door and a voice called out, “Come!”

Bloodroarer was behind his desk, several sizable tomes that he was looking through covering the surface, the kind Hermione would call light reading. He glanced up, quill in hand as he had clearly been checking something and making notes. “Yes Mister Potter? Your note said this meeting was important.”

Once the trio was seated, Harry began, mentally following the notes the girls had all but made him memorize. “Yes. I know that I am the Head of both the Potter and Black families, but what exactly does being Head of House really mean? I have a few ideas for things I would like to accomplish and I am not sure if they are even possible.”

The goblin sighed, set the quill aside, and leaned back in his seat, hands steepled together. “That is actually a more complex question than you might think Mr. Potter, as each families Head of House has different abilities and degrees of power thanks to Ministry Law, Familial Politics, and Magic.”

Harry narrowed his eyes, so much for taking the vague approach. “So the Black family?”

Bloodroarer appraised Harry, weighing the boy in front of him. “They have the widest range of powers and such for any modern family. The Head of House Black has absolute control of the family and any of their offspring.”

Harry nodded, thoughtfully, that wasn’t that bad as it would certainly play into their plans. “Alright. So as Head of House Black, I can annul marriages, recall dowry, cast from the family, stuff like that?”

Bloodroarer quirked an eyebrow at that, “What exactly are you attempting to do Mister Potter? If you let me know what you intend than perhaps I can more accurately answer your question.”

Feeling a little sheepish, Harry replied, “Uhm… can I annul the marriages of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy and recall their dowry’s?”

The goblin began to chuckle, the sound rumbling in his chest. “Again that notion is a bit more complex. In the case of Mrs. Lestrange, as there is no get from that union, you most assuredly can, without any possibility of contention. With Mrs. Malfoy on the other hand… it will all depend on the wording of the marriage contract due to the presence of a child. The odds are high that you will be able to, if not annul but rather divorce, however not with as absolute ease as in the case of Mrs. Lestrange.”

Nodding slowly, Harry asked, “Okay… I can see that. So I need to know the wording in order to take care of the Malfoy’s. So… if that works out, is there a way to compel them to come here to the bank when I tell them?”

With narrowed eyes, Bloodroarer asked, “And why would you ask that?”

“Well… if I can get them here, then can’t someone just simply arrest Bellatrix? I mean, surely she wouldn’t cast magic here in Gringotts… right?” Harry could feel his cheeks heat a bit as he was embarrassed about possibly sounding like an idiot.

Bloodroarer relaxed his facial features and hummed briefly in thought. “An interesting notion, Mr. Potter. While getting them here would be easy, such an arrest might be… problematic due to the neutrality stance the bank has in terms of Wizarding spats. I would have to clear it with several others before we could take that action however it could be done due to the nature of the Black Family Laws. As Head of House you could allow such an action to take place. I take it that is something you are seriously considering?”

Harry looked at both ladies with him before turning back to Bloodroarer, “It is. I figured that having a meeting of the Black Family here at Gringotts can ensure that no spells go flying during the discussions, despite Bellatrix working for the man who wants me dead. And if it can only be Black Family members present then Auror Tonks can be present to arrest Bellatrix. At least… that is what we were contemplating.”

A slow nod was the only response. “Interesting. Did you wish to wait while I speak to others or did you want an owl to bring the reply?”

Finally feeling that he could relax and be himself more now that the business was nearly completed, Harry grinned and said, “I think we’ll wait.”


End file.
